The South Fork is one of the major sources of cold, year-round water for the Scott River and therefore is a key stream system for Scott River fisheries, including coho salmon and steelhead that spawn, rear and over-summer in the system. As the realities of climate change seem to unfold, the importance of the South Fork’s dependable cool flow increases with importance. The South Fork of the Scott River has historically been considered a high energy stream that supplies a valuable source of cold water and flows for Scott River and downstream habitats. Recently, its value has shifted from being a source of water for downstream habitats to the source of available habitat with unlimited potential. Numerous years of drought presented the shift where cold oversummering habitats within the South Fork of the Scott River are now more dependable than the historical habitats downstream. Studies have shown how the combination of desirable physical habitat, water temperatures and water flows in the mid-reach of the South Fork of the Scott River reach could support greater populations of coho salmon, and other cold water dependent fish within the Scott River watershed.
The South Fork Scott River Comprehensive Management Planning and Design Project (Project) will complete six elements by utilizing several methodologies and tools, including field surveys and assessments, remote sensing, photogrammetry, LiDAR and historic photos in order to establish a baseline understanding. Once the inventory of the existing conditions is completed, the Project team will advance their work to include a prioritization of recovery actions for the project area.
- Existing Condition Analysis: A detailed existing conditions analysis and a holistic assessment of nearly 1,600 acres and over 3.0 miles of instream habitat (2.5 miles of South Fork and .5 miles of Fox Creek) will be performed to help provide a foundation of understanding the current conditions to identify challenges and opportunities for recovery actions. This analysis will take a comprehensive approach and will complete a baseline evaluation including information for use in the alternatives development and detailed design. The project will assess the history of geomorphic change and current stream channel habitat capacity and riparian health. This project element will be completed on the entire project area. Efforts will continue to collaborate with KNF to expand the footprint of the effort.
- Instream Restoration/Recovery Designs: We propose survey and assessment of existing habitat that will inform engineered designs on instream enhancement project(s) that will target sediment mitigation and improved instream habitat for salmonids and other aquatic species by focusing on the restoration of historic floodplains surfaces, depositional fans, and low-lying areas. As a result of this effort, a full prioritization of restoration and recovery actions will be evaluated and one site will be elevated to a 90% set of engineered designs.
- Inventory, Condition Assessment and Sediment Mitigation Designs of Road System: A full road inventory and analysis along the 19.6 miles of the road system within to provide a prioritized list of corrective actions of approximately 75 watercourse crossing and 20 cross drains/ditch relief culverts to address any negative hydrologic or sediment inputs to the tributaries of Boulder Creek and Fox Creek to the South Fork of the Scott River. This effort will specifically look at road sediment production and delivery, mass wasting risk from gullies and landslides, risks of stream crossing failures, infrastructure maintenance needs, and road hydrologic connectivity. This project element will be completed solely on the private landholdings.
- Forest Fuels and Fire Resiliency Plan: Develop a fuel treatment strategy plan that will identify a variety of fuel management treatments on the private landholdings that will help the landowner and their partners seek funding to support fuel reduction projects that can’t otherwise be supported by the commercial harvest of timber. These treatment types will consider existing infrastructure such as roads and trails to help determine the best management practices to support the forest ecosystem and develop a comprehensive plan of actionable activities such as prescribed fire, chipping, and commercial harvesting. This project element will be completed solely on the private landholdings. Initial assessment work has been conducted by Jefferson Resources Company. This task will result in a completed management plan for the property to reduce fuels for catastrophic fire and manage for sustainable timber harvest 20+ years from now.
- Irrigation Efficiency and Potential Water Dedication: Detailed alternatives analysis will be completed to improve irrigation diversion method and water delivery system to the private landholdings. The alternative analysis will include environmental compliance, long-term diversion effectiveness, fish protection, diversion efficiency and ecological benefit. The process will involve technical assessments to evaluate existing conditions, explore efficiency improvement options, and quantify on-farm and instream benefits so that cost-effective solutions can be achieved. This project element will be completed solely on the private landholdings.
- Environmental Compliance: Completion of studies, documents and filing both a NEPA and CEQA to ensure the work products developed by this Project, specifically, restoration and ditch efficiency designs will be “shovel” ready and will be immediately eligible for implementation funding. This project element will be completed on the entire project area. Necessary permits, surveys and approvals for construction and future management will also be obtained through this component investigation. Methods to best secure water provided for instream dedication, including developing and instream dedication will be part of this scope.
