Cooperation lauded at dedication of fish screens
Chico Enterprise Record-- 6/05/02
By Heather Hacking - Staff Writer

HAMILTON CITY - Hundreds turned out at the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District pumping plant Tuesday to help celebrate the completion of the $76 million fish screen project and to welcome what is hoped is a new era of cooperation among water leaders.

Former Democratic Congressman Vic Fazio was honored for giving the project momentum and ultimately securing federal funding to pay for a large portion of the work.

Other agencies high on list of praise included California Department of Fish and Game, Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Reclamation Board and California Department of Water Resources.

GCID president Don Bransford said the fish screen is the longest one in the world and a physical testament to the partnership that has developed between irrigators and the various water and wildlife agencies.

That partnership took a lot of work from a lot of people, and much time was given during the presentation to thank dozens of people.

GCID manager Van Tenney said he hopes this type of working relationship will further the momentum of Sites Reservoir, a project being spear-headed by the Northern California Water Association.

"This (the fish screen dedication) represents a vindication of a point of view of why a proactive approach is the right way to do business," Tenney said.

He said water leaders are learning to look "beyond artificial boundaries of districts" and solve problems from a basin-wide perspective.

He said the Phase 8 agreement, which will look at a more integrated water management system for the state, is the most positive development in the state.

Part of that Phase 8 agreement includes a hard look at building Sites Reservoir near Maxwell.

"Sites Reservoir is just waiting to happen," Tenney said confidently.

GCID diverts up to 25 percent of the water in the Sacramento River and has been in existence since the 1880s. The district had battled concerns about fish for 70 years, Bransford said. Then in 1989 the winter-run Chinook salmon were listed.

This left GCID in a terrible position with water and habitat regulators. Federal courts ruled that the pumping was having a major impact on fish. GCID had a screen, but the river was shifting and much of the screen was out of the water.

The district could have lost its right to divert water to the 141,000 acres of farm land it includes. However, an agreement was reached that GCID could continue to pump while it worked on a permanent solution, Bransford said.

The irrigation district credits Fazio with tenacity in seeking 75 percent of the funding from the federal government. It was Fazio who pushed for a line item budget authorization when the Central Valley Improvement Act was signed in 1992.

A temporary screen was installed in 1993, and construction of the permanent flat screen began in May 1998.

The screens and construction costs were about $49.5 million. The project also included $26 million to stabilize the river to ensure the fish screens would continue to operate properly.

Of these amounts, landowners and growers paid for about $10 million, Bransford said.

When that work was done, wildlife habitat was disturbed. To mitigate, areas of land near the project were planted in shrubs and trees for habitat. Of particular interest was the threatened Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle.

During the ceremony, Wayne White, regional supervisor for Fish and Wildlife, said 12 years ago the only dialogue between water users and regulators was "in lawyer's offices," and then it was "absolute discord."

He lauded the completion of the fish pumps, but said the real beauty is just a short distance from the pumps where wildlife habitat has been planted. He said biologists have noted an "exit hole" in one of the elderberry plants, indicating that the threatened species is moving into the habitat.

Jim Lecky, of the National Marine Fisheries Service, said he too was pleased with the cooperation the irrigation district and agencies have fostered.

"We started with lots of denial and lots of confrontation," Lecky said. But through working together "we got to a point where it was a team effort."

Banky Curtis, of the state Fish and Game, said he sees the success on the project as good news for the "beginning of an era to cooperate and solve problems as they come up."

Fazio told the crowd he was very honored to be remembered for his effort, especially 3 1/2 years after leaving office.

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