The Upper Tuolumne River Ecosystem Program: Looking Downstream 2009 & 2010 reports available

Monday, March 26, 2012

Looking Downstream 2009 & 2010 reports available

We've just uploaded NPS update reports on ecological monitoring in the Poopenaut Valley for 2009 and 2010. In 2009 and 2010, NPS scientists continued to conduct extensive monitoring of wetland and meadow hydrology, birds, vegetation, and benthic macroinvertebrates. New work in these two reports includes groundwater modeling by UC Santa Cruz and bat surveys conducted by NPS.

About the Program

The Tuolumne River is located on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in central California. With headwaters in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne flows westward 150 miles to its confluence with the San Joaquin River in California's Central Valley.

The Upper Tuolumne River Ecosystem Program (UTREP) is a collaborative, long-term, science-based river management program led by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).

The UTREP monitors river ecosystem conditions and develops recommendations for river management downstream of Hetch Hetchy Project facilities to support broad river ecosystem values, while maintaining water supply reliability for 2.6 million San Francisco Bay Area customers and providing clean hydropower for San Francisco municipal facilities.

Scientific collaborators include Yosemite National Park, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Stanislaus National Forest, consultants, researchers, and academics.

STATUS: UTREP efforts are currently focused on technical review and revision of the O'Shaughnessy Dam Instream Flow Management Plan and routine annual monitoring.