ICARE received two grants recently to restore stream
flows throughout the North Coast through collaborative efforts with other
nonprofits and grassroots activists. The Restore North Coast Stream Flow
Planning Committee will convene a retreat at Jughandle Creek Farm in October to
form a North Coast Stream Flow Coalition that will begin a coastal campaign to
restore flows to dying streams before salmon disappear from our rivers and the
rights we have to enjoy rivers through public trust values are lost
forever. We thank the Giles W. and Elise G. Mead Foundation and the
Rose Foundation for theirgenerously funding. Check out
the Project website at: www.ourstreamsflow.com
The 426 square miles of the Napa River watershed finds it
origin or headwaters at the base of Mt. St. Helena in Napa County. Most of the River
runs through Napa County. The river widens into vast wetlands through Solano County and its confluence
empties into the bay estuary, known also as San Pablo Bay
The river system provides a diverse food source for the San Francisco Bay, one of the most
important estuaries in the world. The health of the Napa River is vital to the
estuary where fishing, commerce and recreation play an important nexus to
humans. The EPA listed the Napa River as an impaired
water-body in the late 1980’s. The reason for impairment is pollution from
sediment, nutrients (fertilizer) and pathogens (harmful bacteria). The Benthic
macro-invertebrate five-year study began scientific basis for the recovery of
this vital watershed. The health of the Napa River directly relates to
the health of the San Francisco Bay estuary.
In 1999, the current ICARE
project team began the Napa River Benthic Macro-Invertebrate
(BMI) study. Under the scientific supervision of Dr. Charley Dewberry,
biologists and volunteers collected the first ever-biological specimens from
the Napa River Watershed. ICARE has just completed 2006 benthic macro invertebrate surveys.
Results will be posted when ready.
The
health of the bay-delta is dependent on the tributaries that flow into it. The Napa River watershed provides the second
largest supply of fresh water flow to the San Francisco Bay estuary and has a direct impact
on bay navigation, fisheries, and
overall water quality. Its
importance to the bay-delta cannot be overstated. The
EPA, the Nature Conservancy, Nature Serve and the California Regional Water
Quality Control Board have all identified the Napa River as a
regionally significant and rich biological repository that is a crucial
resource to the Bay-Delta.
The purpose of the BMI study is beneficial to both
science and education in the classrooms of Napa County.The study is adding a baseline of information regarding water quality
along with showing land use comparisons to water quality. Scientists, biologists
and interested citizens have all joined together to work on the collection of
these tiny insects that inhabit the aquatic world of our natural waterways.
BMI’s are an
important chain in the cycle of life, providing the food for endangered
Steelhead, salmon & other aquatic fish. The Napa River is also the home for several
other species of fish. Some of these are: Riffle Sculpin, Thule perch, Hitch,
Sacramento Blackfish, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Green and White Sturgeon,
Delta Smelt, Hardhead, Pacific Lamprey, and Stream Lamprey. This estuary is the breeding and rearing ground for fisheries that
sustain a viable economic resource for the region. The rich biodiversity of the Napa River is a major nutrient
load to the San Francisco Bay estuary.
Napa County is a
prime wine grape growing region in California and
vineyards are rapidly expanding to the ridge tops of the forested regions of
the county. This practice is
exacerbating the already considerable pressures placed on the river by causing
severe erosion and depleting groundwater.
As a result, sedimentation has increased while
fresh water flows have decreased. This
has further imperiled the health of the Napa River and the
Bay-Delta, into which it runs, causing bay fill, loss of estuary fishery
habitats and poor water quality. All
these factors jeopardize navigation and ecosystem vitality throughout the
estuary. With efforts by ICARE, the BMI monitoring is allowing the
community to help preserve and restore the Napa River so that the estuary can flourish for future generations
BMI sites 1999-2004
