The Mid-Pacific Region's Native American Technical Assistance Program continues to provide funding to help tribes solve water resources problems.
The Program continues to provide support regarding CALFED and s with California Indian Tribes. The CALFED process was developed to enhance the environment and operation of the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta)—in which a fourth of California's water flows.
Mid-Pacific Regional and Area Office highlights in 2003:
No highlights from Klamath Basin Area Office, Central California Area Office or South Central California Area Office are available at this time.
CALFED Record of Decision, Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report, and California federally recognized tribes.
Reclamation is one of the few agencies that have future construction projects and studies identified to improve the Bay-Delta. Reclamation partners with 18 Federal and State agencies (CALFED) to share resources and expertise to develop a comprehensive program to resolve the many challenges facing the environmental improvement of the Bay-Delta. Although no Tribes are located in the Bay-Delta, identified construction projects or studies taking place elsewhere could have potential impacts on certain Tribes.
The signing of the Record of Decision (ROD) on August 28, 2000, implements the CALFED program cited in the environmental impact statement (EIS). However, the EIS does not make site-specific decisions. As site-specific projects are planned and their impacts become known, CALFED agencies must consult with recognized Tribes about those impacts. The ROD also includes a commitment to consult with Tribes and an offer to enter into Memorandums of Understanding with Tribal governments that will specify the process for how CALFED agencies and Tribes will work together in developing CALFED projects.
CALFED agencies, including Reclamation and several Tribal representatives have been working together on ways to involve Tribes in CALFED since 1999. In particular, these agencies have held meetings with Tribes on:
- North of Delta offstream storage
- Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation
- Upper San Joaquin Basin Surface Storage Investigation
- Environmental Water Account
During fiscal year 2003, the Lahontan Basin Area Office provided technical assistance funding to:
- Sputh Fork Te Moak
- Summit Lake Pauite Tribe
- Walker River Pauite Tribe
Northern California Area Office
Trinity River Restoration
Developing a Trinity River fishery restoration proposal for naturally producing fish is mandated by a 1981 Secretarial Decision and Federal law including the 1955 Act authorizing construction and operation of the Trinity Division, the 1984 Trinity River Restoration Act (mandating restoration to pre-dam levels), and the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Section 3406(b)(23) (mandating completion of the Trinity River Flow Evaluation Study and implementation of permanent flows in the Trinity River with the concurrence of the Hoopa Valley Tribe). Reclamation funding in FY03 for efforts to restore the Trinity River was approximately $7 million, of which about $2.5 million benefitted Tribes.
Trinity River Management Council
To implement the December 19, 2001, Trinity River Record of Decision needed to restore the fisheries to pre-dam levels (and thereby reversing the adverse effects from the Trinity River Division on Tribal fisheries and non-Indian interests), Reclamation works with the Trinity River Management Council, which includes the Yurok Tribe and Hoopa Valley Tribe and non-Indian stakeholders. The task force develops, assists, and approves projects that Reclamation funds.
In FY03, Reclamation funded Tribal activities in the following areas:
- Hatchery evaluation
- Fisheries monitoring
- Water quality monitoring
- Biological data collection
- GIS platforms
- Redd surveys
- Wire tagging
- Gauge station monitoring
- Channel rehabilitation monitoring
- Sediment transport monitoring
The ROD calls for implementing the preferred alternative, which provides for:
- Increasing Trinity River water flows throughout the original river course from 30 percent to 48 percent
- Mechanical channel rehabilitation of 47 sites
- Coarse and fine sediment management and gravel placement
- Bridge replacement
- Watershed restoration
- Adaptive management
Summary of Mid Pacific's Region Native American Program Highlights in Fiscal Year 2001
about the Native American Affairs Office