22 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



FOLSOM PROJECT 



The single biggest water project completed during 

 the biennium was the United States Bureau of Rec- 

 lamation's Folsom project on the American River near 

 Sacramento. This large multipurpose dam and power 

 plant was completed in 1955 and created a number of 

 problems for the department. 



Construction cut off a major portion of the spawn- 

 ing area for salmon and steelhead of the Anierican 

 River. On facts developed by the department and on 

 river basin studies, it was necessary for the Bureau of 

 Reclamation to construct a large hatchery below the 

 dam to preserve these runs. This hatchery is operated 

 by the department, but all costs are paid by the 

 Bureau of Reclamation. 



Another problem has been to develop the fishing 

 and recreational potential of the reservoir. The recrea- 

 tional facilities were not built at the same time as the 

 dam and it was necessary for the Legislature to appro- 

 priate funds for the recreational development in 1956. 

 The fisheries will be managed by the department while 

 tiie facilities will be managed by the Division of 

 Beaches and Parks. 



TRINITY RIVER PROJECT 



The largest water development project authorized 

 during the biennium was the Trinity River Project of 

 the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. Plans call for a large 

 dam on the Trinity River near Lewistown to divert 

 the flow of the Trinity River into the Sacramento 

 Valley through a series of power plants. The dam will 

 cut oflF most of the spawning areas of the Trinity 

 River salmon and steelhead. 



The department was particularly concerned that the 

 project be planned to maintain the fisheries, and that 

 the plans include a large hatchery to replace the 

 spawning areas cut off by the dam, as well as to main- 

 tain adequate flows below the dam for the preserva- 

 tion of fish life. 



Authorization Act Unique 



The authorization act for the project was approved 

 by the President on August 12, 1955. This act was 



unique in that the Secretary of Interior was specifi- 

 cally directed to adopt appropriate measures to insure 

 the preservation and propagation of fish life, including 

 definite flow releases in the Trinity River and Clear 

 Creek. 



The project is now under construction and the De- 

 partment of Fish and Game, together with the U. S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service, has been carrying out ex- 

 tensive studies to determine the size of the runs that 

 w ill be affected in order to design properly hatchery 

 facilities and trapping facilities that will be required 

 to protect fish life during the construction period of 

 the project. 



The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U. S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service and the Department of Fish and 

 Game have reached substantial agreement on the 

 measures to be taken to preserve the salmon and steel- 

 head of the Trinity River. 



Bureau Pays Costs 



As in the case of the Folsom Project, the facilities 

 will be operated by the department but all costs will 

 be paid b\' the bureau as a part of the cost of the 

 whole Trinity River Project. Even though the dam 

 will not be completed for perhaps five years, it will be 

 necessarx' to have the fish salvage and hatchery facili- 

 ties completed by I960. The department is now draw- 

 ing plans for these facilities. The fish will be trapped 

 and transported to spawning areas up river beyond 

 the construction sites in the meanwhile. 



OTHER PROJECTS 



Most of the major water use projects affecting im- 

 portant sport and commercial fisheries were being 

 processed in Sacramento, Region II, through the steps 

 of obtaining water rights from the State Water Rights 

 Board, Federal Power Commission licenses, congres- 

 sional authorization, or other types of approval. 



iMore than 1,000 applications for water permits on 

 waters within the State were filed during the bien- 

 nium. Nineteen applications went to the Federal 

 Power Commission for preliminary permits or licenses 

 for power projects. Over 50 applications were made 



Department personnel take salmon and steelhead census of Trinity River to determine spawning potential of )he stream in order to estimate hatchery needsi 



when Trinity River Protect is completed. 



CF ish and Game 



