Bear River Cathy Lee CE 296 B Spring

Bear River Cathy Lee CE 296 B Spring 1998 Assignment #4

Bear River • Introduction • Watershed Information • Beneficial Uses • Point Source Pollution • Non-Point Source Pollution • Management of Non-Point Source Pollution

Bear River Introduction • Approximately 80 miles long. • From Tahoe National Forest to Feather River in Yuba County

Bear River Watershed Information • Watershed Overview • Watershed Ranking • Hydrology • Land Uses

Bear River Watershed Information • Two Basins - Upper Bear River Watershed (369. 93 mi 2) Bear River Little Clipper Creek Little Wolf Creek - Lower Bear River Watershed Bear River (105. 5. mi 2)

Bear River Watershed Information Watershed Ranking • 1997 California Rivers Assessment: Functioning - at risk

Bear River Watershed Information Hydrology • • • Average annual flow: Dry Weather Flow Rate : Wet Weather Flow Rate: Min. Dry Weather: Max. Wet Weather: 400 cfs 11 cfs 1080 cfs (1977) 48, 000 cfs (1986)

Bear River Watershed Information Water Diversion

Bear River Watershed Information Land Use - Upper Bear

Bear River Watershed Information Land Use - Lower Bear

Bear River Beneficial Uses • • Industrial - Power Generation** Agricultural Water Supply** • Recreation - Contact and Non-Contact* • Municipal Water Supply • Fish Habitat, Migration, and Spawning • Wildlife Habitat

Bear River Beneficial Uses • Power Generation Upper Bear River Watershed Only 11 Hydroelectric Power Facilities 581. 71 gigawatt hours / year

Bear River Beneficial Uses

Bear River Beneficial Uses • Recreation Upper Bear River Watershed Swimming Fishing Shoreline Activities

Bear River Beneficial Uses • Agricultural Irrigation Lower Bear River Watershed Both crops and livestock 17. 66 mgd = 27. 5 cfs (Average)

Bear River Point Source Pollution 2 Major Point Source Discharges City of Grass Valley Beale Air Force Base Not Directly into the River

Bear River Non-point Source Pollution Sources • Agriculture – – Fertilizer Use Pesticide Application Animal Waste Sedimentation / Erosion

Bear River Non-point Source Pollution Example. Storm water carrying trash and debris entering the River

Bear River Management Strategies • Reduce Agricultural Runoff – Apply fertilizer and pesticides at the proper agronomic rates – Timing of application – Use of filter media, i. e. grass, to absorb extra fertilizers, pesticides, and water between orchard rows

Bear River Management Strategies • Public Education – Proper use of fertilizers and pesticide • Implement BMPs – Land use : Crop rotation Minimum distance between the River and farm – Livestock manure control – Fertilizer and pesticide sales