Watershed Plan: 'Urgent actions' needed for American River

The El Dorado Water Agency (EDWA) announced the completed Programmatic Watershed Plan (PWP) last month to address concerns regarding the American River watershed, according to a press release. According to EDWA General Manager Rebecca Guo in a press release, "The development of the PWP is the result of over a year and a half of collaboration with partners who all understand the importance of investing in and protecting the upper American River watershed. The watershed is an incredibly valuable resource and it is essential that we have a regionally developed approach to addressing the various challenges impacting the watershed." The challenges in question involve recent natural disasters, including wildfires, droughts, flooding and further exacerbation from climate change. In January 2023, the area saw record-breaking rain that caused flooding, which the watershed was unprepared for since the area was in an intense drought prior. Guo told Gold Mountain California News Media, "Really having these back-to-back wildfires and droughts, then followed by localized flooding, has shown that our watershed is very vulnerable." The PWP addresses the drastic change in environment, saying, "Communities at large were heavily impacted and unprepared for such a drastic increase of stresses on the ecosystem and on our everyday life. … We are at a critical junction in watershed management to preserve the substantial ecosystem goods and services (EGS) provided by the upper American River watershed to local communities, as well as those in the lower American River watershed, and of state and national levels. We need urgent actions to improve resilience for the upper American River watershed and the communities within, and change our passive management of the precious landscape within the watershed to a progressive one. With collaboration and cooperation among all responsible parties and beneficiaries, we can create and realize a cohesive vision for watershed management that is sustainable and equitable to preserve our watershed for future generations." According to Guo, there are currently 190 projects planned, but they are looking to combine some of the projects in the future. Most of the projects will focus on wildfire restoration and prevention. The PWP was developed by the Upper American River Watershed Group (UARWG), consisting of local land-use authorities, water purveyors, resource conservation districts, non-governmental organizations, tribes, academics, state agencies and federal agencies. Guo attributes the future success of the PWP to the cooperation of the organizations. She said, "We all came together, looking at all of our roles and responsibilities." She, and many organizations involved, according to her, know it's important to look at the bigger picture as it pertains to maintaining the watershed long term. "We need to be able to coordinate together. We can't have everyone just look at their little plot of land," Guo said. Communication representative Lisa Yarbrough described the plan as a "bottom-up approach," where they reach out to people who work directly at the watershed, then "create a roadmap" from there. The American River watershed provides benefits to the Sacramento region, including agriculture and residential water support, natural habitats and ecosystems, cultural value, recreation and tourist opportunities, and more. "We did an economic study looking at the tangible goods," said Guo. According to the study, the watershed makes $14 billion per year from ecosystem goods and services. EDWA began developing an ecosystem valuation report to "quantify the goods and services provided by the upper American River watershed," according to the press release. "By increasing understanding of the watershed's value, this report, which will be released in early 2024, will help guide future watershed investments." The watershed also feeds Folsom Reservoir, which not only provides local water but also to the state since the reservoir is considered a first-responder for water health for wildfires. In addition to environmental concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic and declarations of multiple state of emergencies have affected the watershed. Outdoor recreation "exploded as people were trying to get outside," said Guo. The COVID-19 pandemic's mandates created boredom nationally, so outdoor recreation was a way people kept themselves busy during the harsh times. Guo said the biggest impact to the watershed was the "urban exodus" of people moving from the Bay Area to the area. Since many were not used to living in the forest and may not have known proper wildfire prevention and safety, an increased need for water appeared, impacting the watershed. The PWP is planned to be updated every five years due to the constantly changing climate and potential grant funding for the future. Guo said it is "long-term focused" to maintain the shed for the future.