Ag Alert. August 23, 2023

Flows Continued from Page 3

for the Scott and Shasta rivers, which ex- pired Aug. 1, limits surface-water diversions and groundwater pumping, and prioritizes minimum flows to protect threatened coho and other fish. To put an end to “combat science,” Walker suggested a framework for interim measures that bridges the gap to a future where a science-based model advances restoration. He said it is important to col- laborate with other stakeholders to de- velop data and science, flow models and hydrologic models that direct restoration and lead to improvements for fish. “Agriculture can be part of the solution, but it’s not going to be the only solution,” Walker said. “We’ve got to look at what we can do to help chinook in-migration and develop scenarios that don’t penalize peo- ple that have done the conservation work, and most importantly, we need to work with our neighbors, agencies and tribes.” Sari Sommarstrom, a retired watershed consultant in the Scott Valley community of Etna, said, “I’ve been working on trying to find that magical balance between fish and farms here for three decades.” In discussing hypothetical models used by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sommarstrom said, “We have real-world Scott River fish and flow data,” and suggested all parties collaborate and look at the true data for fish spawning.

Siskiyou County farmers Brandon Fawaz and Jason Finley, from left, county Farm Bureau President Ryan Walker, California Farm Bureau field representative Ned Coe and senior policy advocate Alexandra Biering turn out for last week’s meeting of the California State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento. The agricultural delegation called on the board to develop an alternative to permanent flows on the Scott and Shasta rivers.

“This is not dueling science. It is how we interpret that data, and the flows needed to be assessed instead of adopting a hypothet- ical that does not use local fish data, which we have,” Sommarstrom said. “The instream flow methodology is not intended for pre- scribing instream flow standards, yet it’s

being promoted here as a regulatory tool.” Fellow panelist Gary Black, a restoration and conservation consultant, farms along the Scott River. He said, “We are mindful and sympathetic, and we love a strong run of salmon. It’s our goal, too. We don’t like these droughts either and just have a dif- ference of opinion on some of the metrics.” Black agreed with board staff that more data about the condition of the watershed is needed. “We should have better gauging data on all our tributaries,” he said. “That’s an area we can quickly jump on and improve.” Siskiyou County farmer Brandon Fawaz

of Etna informed the board of his invest- ment in “countless irrigation upgrades” and how he cut back on alfalfa acreage to reduce water use. Fawaz emphasized the need to tackle local water issues as a community. “Tribes, communities and farmers—we all need water for fish, and trust us, no one wants that more than any of us,” Fawaz said. “Water flow without habitat won’t make fish, so I hope we can pause there and work on some things together.” (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

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6 Ag Alert August 23, 2023