Nevada City, CA Mar. 11, 2010 – The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) will be hosting a forum next Tuesday evening on the State of the Yuba River. SYRCL has been monitoring water quality for nine years, and at more than 50 sites throughout the Yuba River watershed. The forum will begin with a presentation on the monitoring program by Gary Reedy, River Science Program Director, including a review of results, and how the data has been used in the management and protection of the Yuba River. During the second hour of the forum, participants may take guided tours through an interactive database, or contribute to focused discussions on topics such as toxics, bioassessment, education, or supporting local sub-watershed communities.
"The quality of water in the Yuba River and its tributaries is generally quite good" states Reedy. "However, excessively high water temperature and low dissolved oxygen make some locations inhospitable to native aquatic organisms. Other locations have toxic levels of iron and occasional spikes in bacteria. Our results are being used to revise our monitoring plan for more effective assessment of these issues, and we share the data with regulatory and planning agencies which have resources for more intensive investigation"
One recent result of data collected and shared by SYRCL is the designation of the South Yuba River as impaired with high temperature. This designation came from Regional Water Quality Control Board as part of their periodic listing of impaired water bodies under the Clean Water Act. The designation involved a review of SYRCL's data and a determination that the high temperatures were caused by human alteration of the river. The Control Board has set a deadline of 2024 for completing studies designed to inform actions to restore the river.
Jason Rainey, SYRCL Executive Director explains "From the beginning of SYRCL 26 years ago, citizens have led the effort to understand and protect the Yuba River. No program at SYRCL is more representative of this than River Monitoring. We are looking forward to sharing results and discussing issues with any interested members of our community, particularly those volunteers who have contributed to the success of the program over the years."
The State of the Yuba Forum will be held at Oddfellows Hall in Nevada City from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, March 16. Other information about SYRCL and the River Monitoring Program can be found at www.yubariver.org.
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