All right, thank you for
joining us.
All right, thank you.
And then there's public comments on those session items.
Are there any?
I don't see any more here.
But that's a public comment.
Are there any public comments on?
I'm sorry.
The Board will convene in closed session.
The item two has more fully described on the agenda
Conference with the county's labor negotiators.
So you have an open session around ten o'clock.
I'm going to
tell you, I'm going to tell you what's going on.
May be better to let them do it, period. If you have her file, you want me to send a link.
I could try to send a link.
Okay, I just sent it. Period. And I'm on the
Zoom period.
Good morning, everyone.
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, board of fueller state. Happy for state of summer.
And I remember three on our agenda as a pledge for redress summer, September.
Thank you.
Please stand and join me in
selecting the lighting
remation.
Ready?
Began.
I'd like to introduce
to the side of the
I-to-state
of America.
And I see a
three public,
from which it stands.
Foundation.
And there are
individuals with
liberty and justice strong.
Look,
we have any
favorite read on
social media.
There is no action
taken in close session,
quite a bit for this.
Yeah.
I don't know if we're five is public comment.
Does anyone have comments or high notes that are not on our agenda?
Good morning.
Laura Lynn from Independence.
And I want to read Psalm 33 as a declaration of prayer over this meeting.
It's time to sing and shout for joy.
Go ahead.
All you redeem the ones do it.
Praise him with all you have.
For praise looks lovely on the lips of God's devoted lovers.
Play the guitar as you lift your praise loaded with things
giving, seeing and make joyous music with all you've got inside, compose new melodies that
release new praises to the Lord. Play his own praises on instruments with the anointing
and skill he gives you. Seeing and shout with passion, make a spectacular sound of joy. For
God's word is something to sing about. He is true to his promises, his word can be trusted,
and everything he does is reliable and right. The Lord loves seeing justice on the earth anywhere
everywhere you can find his faithful and failing love. All he had to do with steep by his spirit
wind command and God created the heavenlies filled with galaxies and stars. The vast cosmos he
wonderfully made, his voice scooped out the seas, the ocean depths he poured into vast reservoirs.
With breathtaking wonder, let everyone worship Yahweh, this awe-inspiring creator. He breathed words
and world to rebirth. Let there be, and there it was, springing forth the moment he spoke.
No sooner said than done, with his breath he scatters the schemes of nation to oppose him.
They will never succeed. His destiny plan for the earth stands sure. His forever plan remains in place,
and will never fail. Blessed and prosperous is the nation who has God as their Lord.
They will be the people he has chosen for his own. The Lord looks over us from where he rules
the heaven, gazing into every heart from his lofty dwelling place. He observes all the peoples of the earth.
The creator of our hearts considers and examines everything we do. Even if a king had the best
equipped army, it would never be enough to save him. Even if the best warrior went to battle,
he could not be saved simply by his strength alone. Human strength and the weapons of man
are false hopes of victory. They may seem mighty, but they will always disappoint. The eyes of
Lord or upon even the weakest worshipers who love Him.
Those who wait and hope and expectation
for the strong, steady love of God,
God will deliver them from death.
Even the certain deaths of famine with no one to help.
The Lord alone is our radiant hope
and we trust Him with all our hearts.
His wraparound presence will strengthen us
as we trust.
We rejoice with an uncontained joy flowing from Yahweh.
Let your love and steadfast kindness
overshadow us today continually, Lloyd, for we trust and we wait upon you. And I just thank
God for the answer of this prayer and this declaration for this time and Jesus name again.
Thank you. Thank you. The other public comments on the audience.
Thank you. Do we have any questions?
I'm not standing in the structure.
Okay.
Thank you.
I'll move on.
I don't have a response.
I need to go to the board.
Shoulder and the budget has to go to the board.
I'm not going to let all of the stand up.
Let's see.
I don't have the.
7.
Hey, Dan.
Yes, this is Matt.
I just want to make sure we can know that I'm not there.
I did.
I mean, why I'm not there.
I did, I tested positive yesterday for COVID and RCRC.
And I think some people there came down ill afterwards.
So I'm kind of assuming that might be where I got it.
But I don't feel too bad, but I'll be stand over a few days.
So thank you.
That is it.
Yeah, that is true.
Yes.
Thank you.
Look almost like normal.
You're a little smaller, but you look almost cool.
And there you go.
And item number seven.
An introduction.
Jennifer Rozier will fill in for Matt Pinkley.
And we'll introduce her from the link.
It's a representative.
That's another hash on the short site.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And welcome to Brenda.
I actually have a little QT.
So anyway, but I just want to welcome.
So everybody has a chance and opportunity to meet Brenda Link. She's our new superintendent.
That comes in our next round.
And it has a impressive career I got to meet with her when she was acting superintendent earlier in the year.
And what a treat to two remains in our with Brenda.
Her vast knowledge and depth of understanding of the Park Service mission was inspiring.
But I just wanted to note that she's come from come to us as the Director of Public Affairs Division at the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York, New Jersey.
I mean, if that isn't a change, I don't know if it's a change.
So, Brenda, go ahead and take it forward.
So, please, I haven't joined us.
Thanks, Jen.
I'm not.
You're wherever you are.
You're going to go ahead of me.
Would we have been to her?
You have to talk to them in my phone.
And I, I think it's janitor in the winter.
And I invite everyone to come to this at Man's Nar.
I'd be happy to show you around and keep following me.
You're free to come by and I'm just some interesting things about.
That's not right now. We are going to be ramping up to seven days a week. We were seven days a week before pandemic. And so I'm just going to accommodate a lot of summer travelers. I'm sure you know about that.
we're stormed, but we lost 163 trees over at Manzanar, and that was devastating for us.
We had a team from Neil Semidey who came and helped us, you know, tidy everything up.
But it was a big loss for us. The other thing is I think we want to
shout out to Eric Richard. I am concerned about fire prevention over at our site.
and so he did provide some ideas. We will have a fire assessment on site soon. It's just that with
a fire season, everything is just the fast removal being right, just it will powerful and so it's
very important that we keep advancing. Other than that, I will keep you guys all updated with all the
happenings. That men's not I'm very happy to be here. It is a big change from New York New Jersey.
However, I am very honored and I'm happy to be here in the Olin Valley.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you
very much.
We're moving on to our consent items.
Item numbers.
Through 16, we are holding on for child.
And that will go first under the Department of Health.
Second.
Any other.
If there are none, I will move to approve.
I'll go ahead.
There are motion in a second.
Thank you, Matt.
We get zero roll call.
Supervisor Richie.
Supervisor Professor Professor Roger.
Supervisor Tariferson Cockrow. Supervisor Keynesley.
Yeah.
Now moving on to the pipe department.
All of them.
I don't know if you can.
It's a very nice month this month.
You'll take fun of the old 90 people.
I don't know if you can.
I need glasses too.
I don't know where to end.
County Administrator Information Services.
The last board is approved, can authorize the term for the sign.
We'll go to both board and the resolution number 22 that's 21.
And direct the ECCR Council of Governments to apply for a broad grant.
And sorry, funding.
I'll change another California to advance services funds in order to establish
in your model, broadband, and sort of in that.
Thank you.
The reason I asked you to have this poll is because there's a reference in the staff
report to having a run of county service, a fiscal officer, since we pulled it off, just
give a brief description of what's going on here.
So as part of our overall broadband deployment to, you know,
that got every household, we have the opportunity to take advantage
of some grant funding, but there has to be a broadband
consortia to apply for it.
And we used to have one, it kind of just goes
because the funding wasn't there anymore.
Now there's more funding available, so we're going to take it down
the S-Con Board, it is to say Council of Governments has historically always also been
the Board for the Rodney Act Consortia.
And so we're asking that you approve the resolution that's in your packet to fire up the
consortium of one more time so that we can take advantage of the funds.
And we have not decided that the grant applications do on July 15, which means that we're kind of doing everything at once, because we got late notification of the grant.
And so, for asking you for to approve the resolution today.
And then, as we move forward, we'll decide who is going to, which one of the four agencies will take on the fiscal officer.
do these for this one, this particular grant, not for the whole S card or anything. And so that
this one, we hold it while accounting will not necessarily be the fiscal agent, but we have
that, you know, kind of has probably a little bit better than 25% chance of in the Africa duty.
So, where is that in the resolution?
It's not in the resolution, it's in the staff report, a person on page two, so we don't need to change the resolution.
I think the resolution is fine.
It's just a staff report, but it's a question.
Now, just for further information, I'll say that the S-COG board is was, will be the governing board that then there's a advisory board of technical access to the public.
No, I appreciate the clarification.
Any questions from the public?
Any motion?
I will.
I'll second.
Supervisor Kingsley.
That was a supervisor professor.
Supervisor Roger.
Chairperson.
Thank you, President.
Supervisor Pitchy.
Now,
I have them for 17.
I want to read our request board.
Hey.
Just for a year.
Thank you.
Zero.
We have the fiscal year, 2021, 2021, 2022,
parks and campgrounds budget is real 7, 6, 9, 9,
has policies and pre-sandes with revenue,
an operation transfer, and
that we have, I believe,
5,000 to start from $4.
seeing empathy this year, can't tell you one thing, two general revenues and expenditure
by the zero, one, nine, two, zero.
It's all as a piece of information, an operation, an operation, transfer, out budget by the
five thousand, six hundred and four dollars.
And then last year, we had one, two, three, two, three, two, three, two, two,
to 0-0-0-0-1 as follows in brief estimated revenue grants that not operating transfers in
Mr. Speaker, we are going to be informed.
The important point might be that we have 8,000, 600, and a 24-volt.
Questions.
Follow us.
Mr. Chair, this item is just to make some budget amendments so that we can allow for the water department to pay for half of our Trex Order touit.
It will be a different project and hopefully on the Lord project someday.
And so this is something that wasn't budgeted for when we adopted the budget.
So we're just fixing that before the fiscal year.
So thank you to the Water Department for stepping up and helping the general.
So, with this budget and then we'll have to stick to the US, 50% or parts projects.
So, you know, I don't think so, because if you think about it, every project is,
like, built on her, they're all, DWP property, they're all mitigation projects.
So, okay.
Yeah, we only come and I make is just I think it's really good efficient government because it kind of boosts heart and heart impact a little bit by utilizing these horses that are animals. I think it's great.
Yeah, thank you.
Thank you.
I'll second.
Supervisor 15.
Yes.
Supervisor Roger. Yes. Supervisor Kingsley. Okay. Supervisor. Yes.
I'll just mention that this, this boat has been in the works for a long time and
sorely needed and I thank Leslie and others who finally got together and finally got
in order to, can't wait to see a work.
That's a two-rebole.
Does that mean you're making an out of two-rebole?
Sorry, you said a five-month term.
Item number 18, words and prizes.
The best work I think you see that it's a combination
from the frame of the equation.
Side of the launch value with the information,
I'm kind of about this range, this entry, and that access can be, that one bond, that two, one, five, this range of roads, because of big fine fish entry, parking lot, for a third of those projects, I think that's a good question.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair and honored.
First of all, I just want to thank everyone in attendance today, both in person and online.
I think it's really inspiring to see the interest of our many partners and residents.
Second, I also want to thank our staff, particularly CAO Chapman, our water department,
and County Council, Balejo, and of course,
a county clerk's RC, who you need to do as everything.
So I just want to thank them for their help and efforts,
their council, and bringing this workshop to fruition.
It's been really appreciated.
So before we get going, I just wanted to say a word or two.
Over the last several weeks, I've been reaching out
to partner jurisdictions, agency representatives.
Kind of anyone we could based on a great storming
list of inviteies and a question that kept coming up is what is the project explained the project to me
when I would talk to people and what what your goal what are you trying to do and so before we get into
the presentation I just wanted to pick a comment or two about that because my goal is that
that we can think outside the box a little bit so I'll just say as an elected supervisor and a
small rural county of 19,000 people. It becomes quickly apparent that I can be pretty limited
and reaching the goals and things that I think are important to the things that I want to do.
But there's one thing that I can do, and that is I can be an advocate for my constituents.
I can cheer for them. I can advocate for them. I can promote advocacy. And I feel that that's my primary
role. So I'm really honored to be able to do that in this position. In this case, my constituents
are actually members of the Southern Nation, the big kind of tribe of the Elens Valley,
big kind of value tribe of Elens Valley. But at the same time, they're still my constituents.
And so I've been concerned about how to elevate their voice, how to give them an opportunity
to tell their story. And so in that manner, I guess, as such, the presentation that's
are all going to see online and in person when I first saw it, I was moved by the vision
and I was moved by the story that was pulled. And I felt that the story needed to be shared
broader. I also felt that the story needed to be elevated to a higher level than just me.
So that's my goal in purpose. You're going to hear today about reduce, recycle, and reuse.
this really inspired me, I thought, what a brilliant thought when it comes to water, right?
So I want to point out before we get started because I don't know if they'll take credits for it or not,
but it's want to point out that thanks to the persistent advocacy of the big-point tribe
and our water department, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department well, the advocacy of the tribe,
our water department, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Water and Power
Follow the need to first take action, work on a solution, undertake engineering, and are now working on funding to complete the reduced portion of the vision that you're going to see in this presentation.
I know our partners from Fish and Wildlife will talk about that in their virtual tour in presentation that they're going to give us an update on where that process is in the reduced portion of water usage and patry.
Next, I just wanted to say to the people who are assembled here online and present, agency representatives elected officials and staff and the various jurisdictions who have responded to join us.
I hope you'll catch the same vision that I saw.
What I quickly realized after talking to a number of experts within our county and outside is that for a variety of reasons.
The hope for outcome or goal of this vision might seem difficult in the current climate that we all have to operate in where we deal with landowners,
county resources, water rights holders, lease holders, and the legal instruments such as the long-term water agreement.
Those elements all make up the table where the seats are full. The seats are full of that table.
And I do truly understand.
That the problem with that is, is the big-time pilot tribe with the Owens Valley doesn't have a seat at that table.
While I can't go back and change that, what I can do is ask with all the assembled knowledge we have here today,
what resources whether financial or next for tea, what resources can we bring to the tribe,
and can we assist the tribe in developing a new table, a new table that's different.
The table where tribal members, my constituent, cannot only feel a healing taking place on the land that they are so connected to.
But can help determine more of the outcomes of that land.
So the presentation that you're going to see, I think, asked the question that it also presents a vision.
I think that vision, although I've outlined a few of the obstacles to that vision, there's a silver thread of hope.
there is hope, and that hope for me is that we find the resources to help bring this vision to fruition.
It's worthy and it bears being noticed and recognized and elevated. What I would also
ask for the people that have assembled particularly online is what else can we bring to this new
table. What else can we bring in this era of recognition and opportunity for tribal nations?
What can be done that would enhance the lives of tribal members on the reservation behind?
maybe there's something from some of you listening today are the resource opportunities that can help improve their
quality. Are there opportunities of expertise in engineering or developing green spaces or supporting
irrigation or in my hope ecological restoration. There's so many things that the landscape is in need of. So I just ask those that are with us today. Keep your minds open.
I hope you catch the vision that's going to be presented to you, and I hope that you can
partner with us in bringing resources to the table to help things come to help the
vision come to life. So with that we're going to have two presentations today and I will just
draw a notice on our presenters have brought some visual, so until. So if anybody wants to see some
of the maps that are going to be presented on the screen, they're much larger format out in the lobby.
I think they're great.
So we're going to have two presentations, one from the tribe,
and then tribal members, and then also Fish and Game
or Fish and Wildlife, is going to give us a virtual tour
of the hatchery, and also explain some of the things they're doing.
So first, I want to introduce, we'll get started here,
and thank both Sally Manning, the environmental director,
and the Williams, the water program coordinator
for the big-time pilot tribe of the Owen's Valley.
Thank you, guys.
And I know you guys have been working on this, so we're really excited, so you're going to do great.
On a hook, no Williams, the Tribal Water Program Coordinator, the Big Pine Pipe Tribal View on its Valley.
I like the first, I start off by just thinking those who have joined us in person and those who are tuning in via Zoom.
The focus of today's meeting is fish springs, which many of you know is located approximately five miles south of the Big Pine and Big Pine Pipe Reservation.
Our ancestors and relatives lived and used the fish springs area since time immemorial.
Like most places in the Owens Valley, which we call Hayahunadu, where land of the flowing water,
experience the major changes which took place a few generations ago.
The tribe is long been concerned with the excessive groundwater pumping, which takes place now at the fish springs
battery to supply the fish brings battery mitigation project.
Operations which occur today were implemented
long before the tribes. Long before state and local agencies were required to consult with tribes.
We hope this presentation helps everyone understand the tribes' concerns. Next, we'll pass it along to Sally.
for doing social activities or
in the United States,
a kind of a,
and that's a kind of a kind of a
kind of a kind of a kind of think,
or I think,
which is an organization to this country.
Whether or not there's a different council
of our channel from there now,
and don't do it with those amputes.
We also have a high-end council for my support,
we're going to have to assist you with the public.
We want it because I have to have to be involved
in this framework.
I also want to acknowledge our council's
participation officer in
every place,
a story to tell. So we're going to start the overview of a current
task position for this group. I'm sorry, so I'll be free to get to
part. Can I sit on my girlfriend? We might be having her done here in
online. Yeah, yeah, we might. Yeah, well, people online can't
here. We get text messages. So if we interrupt you in middle
distance, they can't kneel down. But that is a letter to us.
But we wanted to make a difference.
Oh, it's a long report.
But we wanted to make a difference.
No, I don't know.
Because we're different height.
And we would be constantly adjusting in adjusts.
But yeah, I was saying that every place has stories to tell.
We're going to start with the brief overview of current and past conditions at the
springs.
Next, we're going to spend some time on the LED to the Los Angeles Department of Water
company situation. Then after that background in context, the tribe is going to offer some ideas
for a better future for fish springs. And as a result, we think for big fine in general and hopefully
for everybody. We hope that this information generates discussion and perhaps identifies collaborative
solutions. So NOAA and I will be taking turns presenting in here and we'll hand it back to NOAA.
Most of us know fish springs as it has been part of the most of our lives.
As a fish hatchery located south of the decline of the base of Prater Mountain,
we've seen the landscape change from natural springs to the long concrete raceways filled with rainbow trout.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife operates the fish rearing operations.
The hatchery obtains the fish as eggs and rears them.
Once the fish are large enough to be legally captured,
The fish, mostly rainbow trout, are transported into waterways across the eastern Serus.
This fish brings hatchery stalking map appears at the CDFW website.
It shows where the trout are raised, and the fish brings, and where they are planted.
Please note the location shown on the stalking map, or in Mono County, or access through Mono County.
Before 1970, natural springs at the base of crater mountain provided water for the hatchery.
Water from the spring is shown in the upper photo. This photo was taken in 1952.
About 20 years after the upper photo was taken, the natural spring ceased.
It's 1970. Water has been supplied by two of LADWP's largest pumps in the Owens Valley,
well, 330 and well, 332. They normally operate these wells 24-7. In total, they typically
pump more than 20,000 acre feet per year. This equals to about 10 times the amount of water
that the city of Bishop uses in a single year.
The next slide is an aerial photo of the fish
This slide illustrates the movement of ground water through the fish springs hatchery system.
The do main wells are circled in red.
Once the groundwater is pumped to the surface, the water flow pattern is shown with blue arrows.
The pumped groundwater flows to the 1,000 foot raceways, exits through an underground pipe,
shown in yellow,
and then flows to the curving settling ponds that have been part of the facility
for a long time. After making this journey through the settling ponds, the water flows eastward
to the fifth under the fish springs road and quickly merges with the big pine canal.
From here, the water enters the Los Angeles Aquatic System at the north side of Tinamaha Reservoir.
The fish brings hatchery and two others in the CDFW's inland desert region made the headlines in
2020 when it was discovered.
The fish were infected with a disease causing bacteria.
After operations were shut down and unfortunately millions of fish were utilized.
Once the infected fish were removed, the facilities needed to be thoroughly cleaned.
Here they are.
They need a raceway at the Mojave fish hatchery.
Fish brings hatchery also needed to be cleaned.
and the LAPWP pumps would turn off for several months.
New fish eggs arrived at the fish springs hatchery in a few months later in early 2021.
There was little water that was needed to clear the fish to the early egg and larval status.
During this time, the tribe was a paying attention to the news.
The disruption and the disruption and operations presented an opportunity to reevaluate
the fish springs hatchery system and its water use.
The tribe reached out to various agencies shortly after hearing about the disease outbreak.
You may ask yourself why. Why is the tribe interested? We have many reasons.
Historically, fish springs was a place where an abundance of pool, clean water,
poured naturally from the base of Prater Mountain.
One of the first written accounts about the springs appeared in a report by Captain John Davidson
It came through the valley in the summer of 1859, in the hero, between Hope Creek, and
Dragood for hersuspring, rising the plane, still larger than that which forms Lovacree.
I had called it M.Spring.
The water of both of them is clear as crystal, cold and delightful to the taste, although as
the same height of using the names that we recognize today, Lovacree is what we know as
hind springs, which is now dry, and mammoth springs was fish springs.
So, in today's terms,
it would read, between tinomhoch, crepe, and big pine and baker crepe, the curses of spring,
rising into plains, still larger than the one which forms hind springs. I have called it
fish spring. The water of both of them is clear as crystal, cold, and delightful to the taste.
This brings was the largest spring in the Owens Valley.
At the time of Davidson's,
at the time when Davidson explored the valley, there were no trout or bass in the Owens River.
Or any of its tributaries. There were four species of endemic fish to the Owens Valley.
Captain John Davidson's report includes a drying and description of the famous Owens Pubfish.
And, of course, the area was well known and heavily used by the new people since time of memorial.
It's 1933 sketch by Dr. Dullian Stewart gives some idea of the wide variety of activities in the region.
As you can see, fish springs is outlined in red.
Notice, many wild seedlands and villages or campsites include in this region.
With
the presence of abundant water, there was plenty of food and wildlife in the area.
And nearby, there is a source of obsidian.
Many big pine travel members and others have grandparents or great-grandparents who
lived in use of the fish spring area.
One of the earliest aerial photographs of the big pine area shows where the spring flow.
In this view taken in 1947, we see the location of fish springs about five miles south of
the big pine.
We also see well-watered vegetation on the valley floor between crater mountain and the Owens River.
Here is a short review of things that we know.
Fish springs is located five miles south of the big pine at the base of crater mountain
and was the largest natural spring in the Owens valley.
Natural flow range from 16 to 18,000 acre feet per year.
The area was much used by the new people.
You're American settlers establish a small town called Fish Spring in the early 1870s.
People found in mind in the area until the lands were sold to LADWP in the early 20th century.
Some lands, we have fish.
Springs were patented in the late 19th and early 20th century by how you people, including Jim Hill Sr. and Joe Bayhee.
This spring was noted as a site of the very first introduction of the Rainbow Trout into the Owens River watershed.
When there are brought from the Kings River by J. W. McMurray in 1872.
So now the story takes an unfortunate turn, so I take over, LAWWP proceeded to purchase the parcel with the spring in 1906.
LAWWP then purchased all the nearby parcels that were available, owning it all by the 1920s.
land to the west on Crater Mountain is with Drawnland, it's now managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Trauma were raised at fish springs beginning in 1872. In the early 1950s, California Department of Fish and Bame,
formerly established its fish springs hatchery. For the next 20 years, fish and Bame, the use of the spring water to grow the fish
course for recreational purposes. In 1970, LAWP had completed its enlarged second barrel of the LA
aqueduct. Leading up to that they had installed pumps throughout the Oens Valley and they began
pumping them to fill the additional capacity in the LA aqueduct. So about 1970, the two new wells
at the fish springs hatchery were turned on and shortly afterwards the springs went dry.
This graph shows LAVWP pumping and fish springs natural flow from the period 1928 through 2019.
Time is along the bottom axis and the volume of water in acre feet is along the vertical axis.
The red line in this graph shows the volume of LADWP groundwater pumping in the big pine
well field and the blue line shows the volume of natural flow from fish springs.
Clearly, you're seeing an inverse relationship.
That is, when there was no pumping, the spring used to flow.
But once LADWP pumping began with continuous high rates around 1970.
No one has seen the springs flow since that time.
When not affected by pumping as much as 18,000 acre feet per year, issued from the springs,
but pumping since 1970 has averaged thousands of acre feet greater than spring flow,
and this means that L.A.V.P captures all of the spring flow and additional water, and that's what it's concerned.
Drying up the spring, hook its toll on vegetation, habitat, and other resources, sorry, in the lands south of Big Pine.
Here we show again on the left, conditions in 1947, and the right hand photo shows conditions more recent view with dry, open soils all around the former wetlands and springs.
We'll see a five-acre pond near fish springs to the southwest of the D.L.M. land
this went dry when the pumping started.
In your county water department has a set of aerial photos taken in 1968.
They aren't very good quality.
They are black and white, but if you spend some time with them, you will see that
down the spring area around the hatchery.
There's about 30 acres of wetlands associated with the springs.
There's also some trees to the south of the hatchery.
There's irrigated lands and the five acre pond has things
to have water.
DWP's pumping of fish springs resulted in,
quote, significant environmental impacts,
according to the EIR, which was completed in 1991.
Something had decimated the springs, wetland habitat, trees, and all the organisms dependent on that water.
The EIR declared that the mitigation was something to produce trout. Basically this was an economic mitigation for ecosystem impacts.
Anything is, travel we're already produced here for 100 years prior to DWP's pumping.
The tribe and others have long asked, how can this be adequate mitigation?
Meanwhile, wells 330 and 330 to it, the hatchery were exempted from the water agreements, pumping management protocols.
But well exemptions are a discretionary action, and a technical group they revisit them at any time.
There's some language in the existing agreements, which tells you that the door is open for changes in the future.
That in your LA technical group can change the status of any well if certain environmental protections are not being met.
So pumping out their strings can be altered.
Also, there are provisions in CEQA, the California Environmental Policy Act, which allows an agency to implement an alternative mitigation.
if it is shown to be equal or better than the mitigation of this replacing.
DWP pumping at fish springs continues to take its toll on the big pine area.
This interesting little bit fuzzy image was produced by consultants hired to do some hydrologic modeling
for the Ones Valley Indian water commission about 15 or 20 years ago.
Results of their modeling show the strong influence exerted by the DWP fish hatchery pumps on the movement of groundwater.
The hatchery is located at the end of that long black line, and the direction of groundwater flow is depicted by all the little blue arrows shown in the figure.
Naturally, groundwater would be flowing from west to east or from the Sierra Nevada or from left to right in this image.
From the Sierra Nevada to the Owens River and the Center of the Valley, then it would turn and head southward to its natural terminus that Owens Lake.
However, something disrupts the natural flow, and the groundwater is seen to be flowing eastward from Owens River, that towards the big pumps of fish hatchery.
Here are results from another hyperlogic modeling effort.
10 or 15 years ago, DWP consultants performed
the radius of influence analysis where they looked at the effects of individual DWP wells
on groundwater levels in the big pine area.
This is some of their rather hard to read.
Image, they're output, but it's for just one well, well 332 at
fish springs hatchery. The contour lines are in one foot intervals, and they show that this
well lowers the groundwater a lot near the well, which is in the lower part of the figure.
They're showing 9 to 10 feet of brought down, but the effects of this well
radiate out 5 to 6 miles through the north, all the way to the north at the big time.
They also radiate out to the west to make your creek area west of big pine.
And it's important to note that this is just one well for one year, normally at least two wells around at the same time.
No.
The hatchery wells were turned off in 2020 due to the fish pandemic.
You know, County made some measurements to see if there was any response from the groundwater.
They found a remarkable abrupt rise in the groundwater in some of the wells that they measured.
Monitoring well V17 GA Rose 8.4 feet and V228 Rose another 8.5 feet.
Respond to fairly coincided with the session of pumping.
In this next slide we see data, we see Indian counties data for modeling or for monitoring
well TA 100.
Notice the red arrow and the abrupt rise in the groundwater table.
The interruption of groundwater pumping allowed the water table to rise 1.7 feet, marking
the shallowest depth ever reported in this monitoring well.
Think about what this means.
Our hydrology and perhaps spring itself could recover if pumping is curtailed.
In January of 2021, well, 330 was turned on to supply water to the hatchery for the early
bearing stages before summer ended in 2021, both pumps were operating 24-7.
In late April of this year, 2022, CDFW announced in outbreak of a similar bacterial disease
at the fish spring and black rock hatcheries.
When the tribe asked, we were told that pumping is likely to continue at full capacity
while the CDFW monitors and treats their fish.
The happenings over almost two years now gave the tribe hope for the possibility of hydrologic recovery in the big pine area.
The tribe would like to see the natural spring flow again.
Question is, can we work for that goal?
The tribe has reached out to California Department of Fish and Wildlife, County of Inno, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Fish and wildlife says that the annual pumping volume can be reduced about 12% with no effect on current production of fish.
This reduction could be achieved by this installing devices to reduce the output of the pumps.
The tribe has told that the DWP engineers have looked into it and they do see methods that should work.
12% to rather small decrease considering the total amount pump.
to try to like to see more of a reduction. And when we told this recently to fish in wildlife,
we learned that there are also considering some technological upgrades to perhaps the
aeration and filtration systems at the hatchery, which would allow for recirculation and reuse of
that risk-way water. If these upgrades are made, this could further reduce the amount of water they need to come.
The child's goals for fish rings are to get the natural spring to flow again, recreate diverse habitat, including weapons, and restore cultural resources.
What we view would be achieved if these goals are met would be aquiferate charge in the big pine area, healing of land, place, and spirit.
Environmental justice, meaningful mitigation for the excessive damage done to resources.
This would still be produced and there would be new opportunities for jobs, economic diversity and increased tourism.
Water would still flow naturally to the river.
Particularly that groundwater that you showed on the blue arrows.
And in addition to this, the 12 percent reduction and the technological upgrades,
The tribe would like to add the third proposal, and that would be to explore options to discharge
the hatchery outflow water, in such a way that resource wetlands and habitat and where the water
percolates back to the groundwater, such that it can be recycled and used again to hatchery.
We see at least three possibilities for places where hatchery excellent could be placed in order
to create a wetland and infiltration fund.
First, this would mean that water is not exported
from the fish springs area.
Instead, it's rerouted or diverted to nearby locations.
The possibilities include number one,
the former Indian Allotment Land held by Mr. Dayhee,
south of the hatchery, number two, a dugout boat pit.
We're not sure who put this here or when or why.
Number three, the five-acre pond along the
Moins Valley fault that went dry when the pumping began.
Here, that's there's some pictures of those places.
Number one, shows the former dehypersonal and number two is the baroque pit.
Both images, the red arrow, is pointing to the trees near the hatchet staff.
Housing at the hatchery, so you can see it's not that far away.
And the next photo shows number three, the pond, if I make her pond, it is located in a depression, you can't see the hatchery from here.
Clearly it has been dry for a while.
Some plants and shrubs have moved in.
The lower photo shows me standing next to a big flat basalt folder that probably rolled down from the side of the hill.
And it probably been sitting in the pond for quite a while, because on the side of the boulder there's some white buildup.
And it's about three feet high, and so the pond water
must have been, you know, I'm really tall, you know,
about three feet high, and that month, it had water.
So here are the pride suggested mechanisms
to achieve the goals.
It can be recognized real simply.
So you can remember, you do reuse and recycle.
That is reduce the pumping, 12% reduction
has been suggested, but not implemented.
However, we don't think 12% really would be enough
to certainly have the spring flow again.
Two would be to recirculate and be used
to pump water at the hatchery by making those improvements.
And number three would be to infiltrate
hatchery and effluent to recharge ground water effectively
recycling water.
We include this slide from the CDFW website
because CDFW already recycles hatchery water in
Dr. Villette, or Mahabhi River, the Shatri.
Highlighted in yellow, it reads,
waters that leave the hatchery,
circulate back to the aquifer,
but first create an excellent wetland
for wildlife and wildlife viewing.
The tribe recognizes it may take time
to get the natural flows from the spring again.
As we implement this approach,
we do reuse and recycle hatchery operations
and continue.
We do think that steps take them to conserve water at the hatchery will provide relief to the
chronic police, stress, big fine groundwater offer, and it's important to the type.
To recover, he's water resources not only for the present but for the future, which is uncertain.
For all of us, the would of course need to be monitoring during all of this groundwater levels, water quality, to look at responses to the changes and operations and water management.
Monitoring data could be used to determine if adjustments need to be made to the facilities or the wetlands.
If this simple figure outlines the process, I would say we are not quite halfway.
The tribe has presented its goals and offered what we think are some reasonable ways to achieve
them.
The next steps would be generating sufficient interest and support and then moving to develop
the plan for a project which is capable of achieving the goals.
The time has come to assess certain and landed and water management practices to see if there
better ways to help lands, waters, and indigenous peoples, and all living things on this planet.
Some recent examples of tribes working very hard to recover in their store lands, and wildlife
include as dams are removed in the northwest, reintroducing fish into streams and tributaries
that they used to occupy. For example, this would be the nest pierce, and nest pierce fisheries
in Idaho, California State Parks renaming sites to former or appropriate names, such as the
renaming of the Sue-Makes State Park,
re-roaming buffalo returning to their historic ranges
to help from tribes in Wyoming, and lands in California Redwoods and Mojave Deserts,
that are putting, that are being put into land trust, managed by tribes or tribal consortia.
This brings presents an opportunity to write a long stemming wrong in the big pine area.
Thank you.
Mr. Chair, if I may, I know there probably be comments and questions, but I wonder we have our first and wildlife partners on the line as well.
I don't know, Darcy, you see them.
Okay.
We just want to presentation.
And we're not able to take a physical tour of the hatchery.
So we've got that thankfully the staff with the Department of Fish and Wildlife is going to give us a virtual tour as well as explain some of the ongoing operations.
And some of the steps are being taken to achieve the first step we do. So I want to introduce Dan Townsett who's the fish hatchery manager to Matt Norris who's hatchery supervisor regions five and six.
And Russell Black, who is the senior environmental scientist, supervisor for Fisheries Region 6.
So I believe they'll have a presentation as well. And then hopefully we can take questions and comments
as we have time. There they are. Thank you guys. Have they worked out their presentation?
You don't have to.
You want me to start that presentation now?
Just please.
Let me share my screen and get this figured out and let me know.
It's coming up.
You're in.
It's good.
It's green is there.
Thank you.
All
right.
Yes.
I'm Dan Tonseth.
I'm the fish hatching manager too.
Fish rings hatchery.
It's a quick little virtual tour and a couple new things we're working on for water conservation here at the hatchery.
Get right into it.
So we're in fish springs known as Valley New County.
We're approximately five miles south in the town of Bitcoin.
A little bit of the history of fish springs hatchery.
It was originally constructed in 1952.
At that time, like has been said before.
it was on natural springs on site that produced about 18 CFS. It was modernized in 1972.
Two gravel ground water wells were sunk on site. Six, one thousand foot concrete
raceways were added as far as the part of the modernization. And in 2009, a modern hatchery building
was added.
This is just an overhead view of the hatchery. You can see the concrete raceways over here.
This was the original Earth and Ponds from the 1952 construction, the modern hatchery building, and this would be our mid-ponderation system, which we'll talk about a little bit later.
What we raised, we can raise up to 400,000 pounds of fish a year, fairly easily, we do rainbow trout, eagle lake rainbow trout, brown trout, and a LaHont and cut throat trout.
We're at least fish go in the eastern Sierra.
20 waters in your county.
As far south as Codwood Creek,
and go all the way to the Indian Mono County line.
26 waters in Mono County,
and it goes from the Indian Mono County line,
and we're responsible up to Conway Summit.
So quite a bit of driving goes on.
So I just kind of go over how the water flows in this hatchery system,
how it flows where it ends up and so this is an overhead view of the hatchery currently
or not currently because that building is not there yet but there's two electric wells
the pump groundwater which are for the blue arrows are pointing. These two wells are capable of
20 x CFS combined. One will maybe shut off at a time for operational needs and water savings we
ability to do that. Each will has an alarm and diesel backup near the event of power outage without one of these
for both of these wells flowing, we're at the risk of catastrophic fish loss. It's just a quick
picture of the wellhouse, the will, electric will and the diesel backup.
After the groundwater
water comes out and it's pumped out. It goes to these erration towers. The water flows over
erration media and several erration boxes. The oxygenated water goes back underground into
the raceways. The water coming out of the ground is very low in oxygen. So these help oxygenate
the water and get rid of any undesirable gases, nitrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide stuff like that
comes from the groundwater.
These are picture of the raceways. There are 6,000-foot raceways. This
is where fish are grown to a plantable size, which could be two to the pound or somewhere around
10 to the pound for our sub-catchable lotments up and down the eastern Sierra. Once a desired size
is reached, fish are loaded in plant trucks and transported to their intended destination.
The hatchery buildings, after the water leaves the erration towers, some of it is flown into the hatchery building.
This is where eggs are hatched and fry or raised up to a size where they can be transferred to the raceway.
When this building isn't in use, you don't have egg or fry in the building.
We do shut the water off to this building.
We have the ability to do that.
So at the 500 foot mark on the raceways, water is pumped into these second erration towers.
government on-air-ation towers, it increases the dissolved oxygen and removes harmful gases to the
fish. After the water is aerated, it goes into a sump down here and is reintroduced back at the mid-pond
level.
Sorry if I'm talking fast, I'm not a great public speaker. You're doing great.
So waste removal, you know, fish-y-8 in great ways. So we have to remove that before it goes back
out of the hatchery. So when the modernization happened in 1972,
we utilize the old earth and
ponds as a sediment block system. So the water comes from the tails right here. It goes underground
and enters right here. It may enter through the old earth and ponds and exits and goes back into
This brings can now, just kind of reiterate what I just said, this is the after at least
the settling bonds and it goes into canal here, which eventually ends up in Timma and those
river system.
So, a little bit on proposed future water savings for the hatchery.
Right now we're working on adding variable flow valves.
We discussed another options with DWP, including variable speed pumps.
There were those variable speed pumps are not very reliable at times.
So a valve would be added.
Anti-captation valve would be added in between the wells and the aeration tower.
Right now the current system, like I said before,
that it's either on or off, there's no fine tuning or, you know,
Increasing flows are decreasing flows as needed.
This would allow for a fine tuning of our flows for both water savings and optimal fish growth.
The second would be modernizing this old dinosaur here.
This is the mid-pawn aeration system.
It's 40, 50 years old.
It's not very efficient anymore.
So adding efficient pumps and a modern, more efficient aeration system.
as well as an electric backup that would replace these diesel
right angle drive backups.
This would allow us to
in theory run with less water for longer.
If we have better
oxygenated water
from mid pond now, which usually is pretty bad with
dissolved oxygen, in theory we could
run with less water for a longer period of time.
This is in the works right now.
So,
thank you for listening to me, ramble on, and.
Thanks, Dan.
So you said the midpoint iteration is something you're already working on.
Is that you've got some working with the moment you want to take that?
Yeah, we have entered into a contract with the vendor to redesign the whole system and implement construction.
Global supply chain issues have made it so it's probably going to be at least several years before the project is completed, but yes, money has been allocated in the contract is in place to make those improvements.
That's encouraging, so I suspect you have some presentation you wanted to make, but I thought
it would be great if you could update on the, on the reduced part, the variable speed
felt.
Right, so the, the variable speed motors are not going to be an option due to, as Dan said,
the indication that they are less reliable.
And obviously, when you're raising a live product,
the risk of a motor going out and fish
dying really isn't an optimal solution.
The installation of the valve through reduce the flow is by far an optimal choice both in
and the low risk to the fish. So it looks as if that has potential and we've been told by our
our leadership in Sacramento that funds will be available to hopefully have those installed
as DWP finalizes their proposal.
Do you give you people provided the engineering for that?
Correct.
The wells and the motors in the system is owned by them.
So we certainly don't have the right to start installing apparatus that's going to affect their equipment.
So they've been great about having staff out to look and see what will work and they've come up with this.
The specs on what valves would be required and what is required.
to keep their equipment going.
Great, did you want to add anything else?
Or did Russell want to speak?
I was mostly on to answer any additional questions
related to fisheries management, things about nature.
Well, it's a share if you'd like to begin.
If you guys don't have anything else that you wanted to present,
well, first of all, thank you for the virtual tour.
It was a good backup solution.
I think Sally called it Plan B.
to see.
So, thank you for that. I appreciate it. Also, past one, thanks to Heidi for helping
orchestrate. You guys to be here. Did you want to open it up to comment?
Yeah, so as long as you're in line.
Follow that question from the board first.
I've got a few questions.
So a few questions is, you mentioned the beginning that there was land that was patented.
But Native Americans, what is that?
There was an idea.
I'm sorry.
We have now seen the Indian Allotment Period.
Before the 1932 land exchange went to some of the most notable ones of the area.
We're full, some of the ones that we have focused on are the Jim Hill senior,
Indian
Alotment in the Joe Bayhee Indian Alotment as well.
And this is a, these lands, well, Jim Hill, I'm actually a descendant of Jim Hill,
It's fun for falling.
That's a lot.
And then that land is still held in trust to the state. It was never sold by the LAVVB. Fortunately,
the dobehylotment is now the VVV land and it's located just south of the city of the VV staff housing.
Okay. And so, to the big prime tribe controls that land?
now state of California. No, no, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The other two, the first two that weren't sold. The gym hill senior is held in land trust.
What is Andy? It's hard for me to answer that.
Actually, gym hill senior did.
And yet, well, you did take several parcels.
I'm totally maybe 168 years, and half of it was sold off to L.A.V.P.
The 88kers do remain in the family, and they're in that virtually three weeks area.
There's quite a lot of that's what's remaining in private.
Holdings.
And I should mention that Janice Flowers, who used to live there,
wrote a really good book about fish springs in the history
and it has incredible wealth of information, and that's right,
is reading all the little details in the past.
So the land itself is private land,
the whole body of people who are the senders.
The senders, it will stop in the trap.
Okay, then send includes the private acre pond.
That's on BLM plan.
BLM.
Okay, thank you.
So is there an outlet to the private acre pond?
So it just would fill up and then just will trade back then.
These are good questions.
I don't know.
I just basically found it myself.
You know, we had been out to it back in the 80s.
And just wasn't even sure where it was until I looked on a map and went again.
I have a feeling it was came.
The water came up from the bottom.
It was spring water and may or may not have happened outflow.
Probably it could have been rather sailing.
I mean, these are questions I think we can answer with some additional research and we haven't
speaking with some people at UCLA and they're very interested in taking a look at
conditions there and an old spring fence themselves too.
Okay, do you know the depth of groundwater that would take to restore flow too?
I think we have seen incredible bounce back when the pump's work turned off during a really dry period during the summer when water tables don't normally go up so that's very encouraging.
So, we do know that there's a history suspect and it's going to go down real quick, takes
a long time to recover.
But I think that's why scaling the implementing these changes could tell us something about
the rate of groundwater return.
You do know that at BlackRock, based on 12,000, they now pump about 8,000 and that's because
the water table to come up higher there.
It's still a little bit more than the spring float, and I don't believe those, I don't know how close those are. That would be a question for you 100%.
I was, it may I say, Ellie. Yeah, I've asked these questions, and I know I don't know if Keith wants to address them or not, but
he can, or he doesn't have to. It's okay. I think one of the reasons, if I may, that we've asked people with resources here, and I've spoken to tribal members, and I think we're looking for it's not just finances.
So when we asked for resources, we're looking for expertise.
I mean, I've spoken to tribal members.
We need, you know, are there grant programs that can facilitate a hydrograph or an inch
near or people can help design a project, a ecological restoration project.
I think we've seen a vision and I think it's a beautiful vision.
But I think what we're looking for and what I've spoken to many of our attendees about is where
the resources. We may not just financial resources that we need expertise resources, if I
characterize that. Okay. I mean, the tribe has a small environmental department,
and maybe this
is a question for CFW. Why can't we use that, like say, the natural spring flow gets restored and that
And you have fish, you have environment,
can be just used in natural water instead of passing
a huge pump water.
Yes, I would be a decision, you know, made by CBFW and Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power.
However, you know, like you said in the presentation, you know, fish spring was the first site
of the introduction of rainbow trout in this.
That was the bigger watershed.
The history of trout being in the region really started there.
So why we ever changed probably the second barrel of the act that I'm curious from a technical standpoint from CFWF, they have a reason why natural art can just be used.
No, you can raise fish on spring water.
The question is would it flow in quantity enough to continue the current operation?
And when I would come back, obviously, if I took a decade for the spring to return to the natural flows, there would be no fish production during that tenure period.
So, we...
Great answer.
More or the increased flows, eventually went into the off the duck.
There, because it felt like it would get more water or they really needed for the fish actually.
Wow. Okay, and I have one more question that I think maybe is water department question.
And that is like, who has, who has, yeah, some of them for what?
So from the people side, who has the authority to make all of these different decisions and who can pay for it, who has to pay for it.
Okay, that's a big question.
Okay, maybe that's the new delay.
Yeah, John, you want to start.
Let me, let me, I want to answer the one question about how we got here, and we recall in the
graph that was presented of pumping and spring flows in 1961, 62, 63.
There was a period of pumping not as high, but when that happened, the spring flow almost
dried up during that time period, and if you recall, that was when they were considering
building the second octave. So if I understand the history correctly, they knew that if they were going to run
other wells that exist in the big pine ball field, they would impact the spring and the hatchery operations.
And that's why they made the agreement to install the wells to maintain fish production
And then the pumping goes too well, because they are way other, what they're color built and how they're what they're completely into, what up to the chair, what to do, are really productive that's, it's no one mentioned in selling mentioned.
So they produce a lot of water, but there are other wells in thick fine, and the concern was, if you increase or using the existing wells, going to impact the hatchery, put in two new wells, to make sure that continues.
That could mean that got rolled into the water demon as an exemption and as a mitigation
measure in the 1991 EIR, the impacts to the vegetation around the hatchery themselves.
EIR did not require or an implement on the on-site mitigation at fish springs for the
by the increased habitat in the lower end of the project.
So that being over in Brazil for that right.
So the increase in meadows preparing in March in the lower end of the project
could be compensatory in education in the 90 on the IR.
That's what the 90 on the IR.
So John, do you want to go through it?
Well, that would be a bit of a rough problem.
I thought that was one of my next questions.
I'll let you know.
So hypothetically give us
to be shut off completely, would the spring still be able to flow that they impact and buy all of the other wells?
The best thing I can say is that when the spring flow, there was very little, almost nothing you could think, I'm well-feel.
So if you, and the concern is that the existing other existing wells and the two add the hatchery,
can also affect the spring flow.
So, therefore, if you wanted to do storage components,
you'd probably, most certain thing I could say,
hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi.
Is that you have to shut off all of the wells?
And it would take some time.
I don't know exactly the number of,
but it would take a few years, probably,
for the spring flow.
And just hydrologically, some springs don't come back
after they're affected by pumping.
This one is so large, maybe the underground plumbing
is not going to affect it. Does the ground kind of settle?
Yeah, the ground moves the carbonate collects things like that.
Sometimes spring's no. So this is a large one.
So it's a bit of a yes, but I wouldn't say it's sort of, but probably likely.
But it would take while for if you shut up all the wells and you would take a while for
or nearly all of the wells that take all of some time for the marble to basically rise
of them there. So this charging at that point, you have to have a higher water
fuel, that's pushing water out of the spring.
You know what I'm saying, the proximity of the center of the
lower volume, it's like the other volcanic, yes, to the strength of the
us, that must have to fly. Right. That's why there's so big the volcanic
operas in our valley of the most transmissive. They produce the most water
or the flow allowed most, most highly conducted, if you know this most of our big screens
were at kind of at the mouth or the toes of these photographs, big ceiling fish springs,
right in that line, and then somewhere on other faults. So I'm not saying I won't
flow if you shut up all the pumping in big time because it was such a large one, but this
And it literally elsewhere, some other springs, I know,
I turned off and tried to retrieve the hydrology
and it didn't come back.
I didn't need to worry at any time in any time, so.
Let me go.
Well, I suppose it depends on what the question is
in terms of what we're looking at doing or what
would be the next step in which project
is it seems to be more than one possible project here.
But the fish springs itself is part of the 90-91EIR,
which was rolled into a long-term water agreement,
which is a mitigation project that is now managed
to do that system of the tech group,
the standing committee approvals for any sort
of modifications to a mitigation project.
So we would have to run through that process
if you wanted to actually modify the current
patchary pumping, as it currently is aimed at.
So but beyond that, it was something not to feel
There would have to be some sort of agreement with LA, and I suppose the tribe, or whoever else was going to be up upon it for it, because it is LA's water, right?
There would have to be a assuming conservation with the CBFW to make sure that any changes would affect the operations of the fish hatchery.
And to the extent of the clinical projects that end up on any other federal land, we have to,
obviously, coordinate with that federal land manager, there are also all sorts of things.
I have a couple of comments.
You have a question, you just.
Well, I just, I think about the appropriate, just sort of relying on the board today,
but what we're looking at is breaking together several agencies to work on a issue.
I don't think that today the tribe is asking your former supervisors to solve the problem
if they're asking for your support, obviously, but we do have other agencies that perhaps
have some advice to offer for the situation.
So, you know, I know that I didn't come before this war, it's generally the request to solve the problem
And then I don't, my understanding is that this is, you need that, you know,
trying to get together a lot of agencies to try to offer advice.
So that's a, I want to take some pressure on to you.
That's a perfect set of what you just trying to understand.
That was a perfect set of what I get that.
That was a perfect set of where you and the mic comment and that was that,
you know, to me, this is really exciting.
We've heard this before, you know, historically, about what can we do with the fish
ad tree.
And in the past, it's been shut it off or leave it off.
And so, you get the ecological circumstances that can happen if you just shut it off against,
you know, the necessary necessity of having fishing as a huge
economic impact to our entire economy.
So I think what's happened here is really exciting
because I want to thank the tribe for that presentation
because I think that's the first time we've heard
some of the comments about what we might do
to start making things better.
Without the shut it off, or leave it on.
I think there's a lot of discussion and a lot as much smarter people and I am in the area about how we can actually make these things work.
But the advantage we have here is that you do have some cooperation from B2BP, from Fishing Day, for Fishing Wildlife, I'm sorry, I'm old, Fishing Wildlife, the Tribes, can't account.
And I think if we can work together, I think we can see some improvements.
Whether we saw this problem, I'm not sure the entire problem of whether we just shut
the water off and let the flows come back up.
But we need to help to thrive.
We need to help fish in wildlife, but be able to do what they do for us by raising fish,
even though you've got to figure out how to get them without being sick. I'm not sure
vaccinations are working. I know they're trying a lot of different things, but I
want to thank Sally, especially in the gentleman there, I think your report was
excellent and gave us that ability to sort of move forward without saying what we
can't do that because that'll give it that'll stop this end of it. So I really
think that I'm excited. I'm really excited. I don't get excited very often. I've been on this
border a long time. I've seen a lot of a lot of things coming up. This is exciting because I think
if we all keep working and don't stop working at it. I think we've got a really good chance of moving
forward and in being helpful to all the parties concerned.
So thank you guys very much for that report, and I think we can move forward from here.
Well said.
Yeah, I guess.
Yeah, no, the only thing I would say is, you know, I think that was well said.
Thank you.
I think you Leslie, like I said in the beginning, we're not going to solve this here today.
But what I like is that we've heard of vision, we've heard some ideas, and we have taken steps.
I mean, the tribe has brought forward ideas that now has the water department.
I think it's a very interesting game.
Fish and wildlife and DWP working on a solution for reducing the amount of pumping even if it is only 12%.
You know, just one thing I will take kind of go back to my comments earlier.
You know, and talking to people who are attending the meeting today,
Sierra Nevada Conservancy was one that was really inspiring with some of the nifwift funding
they have.
I've learned of a grant program through the American and the beautiful project program that
is being the Department of Interior, agriculture, commerce, and the Council of Environmental
Quality are being told to implement support, tribally-led conservation and restoration priorities.
I think there's grant monies available, and I just think now's the time to be finding
getting those grant monies but I sometimes I feel like the tribe might have the same problem we have
as a county. We don't have the capacity to manage a project and go after all the funding and carry
everything out. So that is one of my hope for goals here today is that we identify resources,
agencies, jurisdictions, elected officials who can say, I have a resource, I have a project or I
somebody because Jeff asked really good questions, but we need to get the answers too. So, that's all the same thing.
I'd like to say something else I'd like to put out since everyone doesn't have access to the participants that are on Zoom.
I just want to record, and everyone in the world will do have representatives from
the heart.
We have Cal EPA, we have the Office of the Department of Health, Health, Housing,
Assessment,
Department of Water Resources, the other type of DSR, and that we have some
representing us from the Department of Fish and Murals Life.
If some of them catheter's offices on the zoo,
they're, they'll feel, they'll represent you.
And Senator Kleinstein has established.
Does that mean?
And Sarah, the Vatican Servancy.
And so we've got some really,
powerful people that are interested in what's going on here.
congratulations for getting the representation and I also want to let you know so that
pressure calling for public partners, perhaps some of the people that might have less time
standing on the right one to go first from the zip. Yes, so I learned our comments from those agencies
to do right now.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you want to take me to raise very fast on talking to the function?
Yes, so we have power.
You know, so I've got some of those.
And I'll introduce some of those.
And
just so everybody knows that we have to.
We're going to turn.
Uh, the parking lot of fish entry and be there.
I want to buy to do that.
We need to.
I'll have a little bit of a lunch break and eat some
So the goal is to try to adjourn and hear a recess that we hear at a rallying.
And if I may interrupt, we had an attendee and she just emailed me that was trying that had hope to attend.
Actually, she says, I've already identified funding opportunities.
What are resources manager from the Bureau of Reclamation?
So I'll be sending her a recording of this.
So I'm sorry for my lack of a camera today. I'm Lauren Moncerot. I'm with Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment, which is part of Cal EPA. And I just wanted to applaud the board for working
with the big pine piu tribe, this seems like a win-win project, and as we all know in government,
if money is the only object, this is certainly something that you can do. It's
great seeing Inyo County be a leader, both in the environmental field, as well as partnering with
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Are you others? Yes, sir.
We're going to spend that out now.
There's something in the office.
If
I could just ask people who are attending,
I think we have most of everybody's context,
but we may not. If people.
If for some reason,
Darcy doesn't have your email address.
I'm hoping we have everybody.
Yeah, please, please email Darcy L.S.
It's D-E-L-L-I-S at NEOCounty.us because we want to be able to connect with you.
We're going to look.
That's already interesting.
Then go ahead.
Everyone, my name is Rachel Reyn.
I'm district director, First D.S.
Assemblyman Devin Mathis here in his vice-ellial office.
And this is Rosalina.
She's a field representative for the Assemblyman.
We just wanted to hop on and say hello and thank you for the invitation and thank you for all
the information and Darcy does have our contact info and so we hope that as things progress,
we can be of any support that we can so please don't hesitate to reach out and thank you for the
invitation today. Thank you, Rachel for attending and I just wanted to note, you know,
First of all, Assemblyman Mathis is on the select committee, you want to share that, and then also that you're connecting us with our, we're sad, we're going to listen to them, but, you're connecting us with our new Assembly member.
Yes, it's been a great opportunity for our office to be connected with in your county throughout the years. I've been here since 2018, and obviously Assemblyman has been here.
representative since 2014 and appreciated.
And the communication and good relationships we've had,
but with redistricting your new representative
will be Assemblymember Patterson out of the Fresno Clovis area.
And I have connected him with this information and his staff.
And so hopefully we'll continue to make those connections
as we move forward and starting
in January Assemblymember Patterson will be a representative.
And the Assemblymember does sit on quite a few committees
one being the select committee on Native American issues and so I'll definitely be bringing this
to his attention and be filling him in on everything that we've heard today.
Thank you. Thank you. Are there other agencies who want to make one of that show?
Where's
I will work for everybody for our speakers to be promoted.
I just wanted to put everyone down and apologize.
I have to leave it today.
So I apologize.
Great turns out.
Thanks everyone for getting in.
And I'm watching Darcy shuffle this background.
So she deserves an award.
Yeah.
Always.
Good morning.
Everybody.
Thank you for letting me join virtually.
My name is Bithub Ecker and I'm the deputy secretary for
environmental justice, tribal affairs, and border relations.
And this is a list of all the
boards, departments, and offices that make a
Taliban, you heard from Office of Environmental Health
has assessments earlier. I just wanted to bring to the
tribes' attention and perhaps the counties that
Taliban has what's called the environmental justice grants.
My email is shared if you could shoot me an email and I can get you
on a list that will alert you when the next round of applications goes live.
I think this was described as an environmental justice project.
I couldn't agree more.
So I wanted to make sure you knew about this potential grant opportunity.
Thank you again.
Thank you.
More and more others.
But the agency, everybody from agencies is.
Are there any agencies here that would like to speak?
Yeah, thank you.
We have our air pollution control officer.
Thank you for joining us today.
And that was the.
Well, you're a water officer.
Good morning.
So to do air pollution control officer for the Great Missing Unified air pollution control district.
And I would like to reiterate, it is exciting.
I think everybody knows that water and air are inextricably connected.
And any reduction in exports or recovery in groundwater,
and vegetation enhancement and ecological restoration,
only conserve to benefit our quality and enhance that for our public health.
So, exciting.
Thank you, Michelle.
I'm a great happy stock. I'm the archaeologist from the Bureau of Land Management and the Bishop
Philophis. I guess I'm going to cover my end because we had the water already talked about.
We just got air. We are excited. We are a land owner or land manager, I should say.
We have to be American people. And this pond was raised to my attention a few years ago in
consultation. And I know that it plays a very important role in big fine tribes recent
And it actually could be potentially a traditional cultural property and we're actually exploring that opportunity now.
So we want to add our advice, our support for this.
We also are excited and we hope to see some progress as we move forward.
I'll explain these options.
Thank you.
Do you have some others?
Yes.
I don't know.
I do have one time rates.
Thank you.
Center for the five there by people from the public.
I'm very happy you have one first.
I'm very about.
Monahue, good afternoon.
I'll talk to you.
I'm a editor in the executive director of the Elinceli
Indian Water Commission.
We're also serving on the Indian County Water
Commission.
So I'm so happy to hear that everybody is excited about
this project.
I'm super excited.
This is the first time in a long time that I think we
have had an opportunity to make some real changes that's going to have an impact the positive impact
to our environment, to the ecology, create new habitat. I really believe in my heart that
looking at ways to spread that water, whether it's in a pond or near the spring or whatever that
happens to be is going to be a huge win for our valley here, for the people, for the animals,
for the plants. And I think we've made so much progress and what I've heard from different agencies
and entities that are involved in this that they want to see this go for.
And I would encourage you guys to help make that happen. I also want to remind you that in the long-term
groundwater agreement, we're currently looking at changing a mitigation project. And that's moving
water over to the five bridges area. So we can change a mitigation, you know, in one way we can
make changes for another mitigation projects. There's mechanisms to make that happen. We just need,
of the parties involved. And as far as the grant money and the people, you know, overseeing that,
you know, that can happen. You can pay, you can get money to pay people to help manage this.
And another card can do it. You know, auto organization can do it. The county, there's other
opportunities. So I really want to see this go forward. And I'm so excited about the opportunity
that we have to make some really good changes and have a project that's actually going to do
benefit rather than pumping to mitigate damages caused by pumping. Thank you.
Joining us via zoom is Danny McLeard from a hot tuned water quality control board.
Hi. Good morning and I just wanted to say thanks for the inviting us to this. This was a very informative
And the Han Lord Ward is very interested in doing what we can to support this.
And there's a tie-in to a couple of things that Han Lord Ward is working on right now.
One is we're beginning the process of talking to tribes about designating tribal benefits.
uses within our water quality standards. And so we had a meeting about that as some of, and
and so this, it was sort of just beginning that process and this ties could be a good
time to that. So it was very informative for us to hear about this. And we also
have permits on the fish hatchery to address any water quality impacts. So there could be additional water
quality benefits to this project moving forward.
So I just wanted to say thanks to,
especially to, you know, the county and the tribe
and Department of Fish and Wildlife for the very informative presentations.
And we look forward to supporting this moving forward.
Thank you.
There was one more hand raised version of the set.
Yes, we had Sylva Blackstone.
She can hang out.
We have
someone else that I'll take in the meantime.
But thank you.
The person is identified as jury.
Yep.
What that?
Hi.
Thanks for inviting me here.
I'm a police doc at UCLA.
I'm interested in.
I study water quality in wetland.
I'm spring geochemistry.
I'm really interested in the potential.
So what when mitigation and reduced for use for cycle sort of policy framework that has been introduced today. So thank you for sharing that.
And yeah, I just wanted to introduce myself and say thank you for hosting this. This is really interesting and informative.
Thank you for joining us.
And this is that the other person who is.
Ms. Blackstone, can you put your.
All right, this is an exciting project for a series of projects.
One of those times that the outcomes of the basic projects probably are not in much
disagreeing with anybody. We want to have these things done.
If we object to get them done, there may be barriers that some groups or someone will be putting up.
Our job is to see if we can work our way through those barriers to make these good projects happen.
Mr. Chair, some of the box done is now ready to speak.
Hello, can you hear me?
Yes, thank you. Great. I'm from Los Angeles, the Los Angeles area, a native of Los Angeles.
And my grandfather worked for the Bureau of Reclamation.
I was in the 1900s, and I don't.
So I have his notebooks.
He was basically a scientist.
It's very interesting to imagine what data manipulation could do at that time.
Anyway, I'm wondering, what is the benefit to the ecology of the region to have these foreign fish introduced into the ecosystem there?
What is the benefit to the ecology?
And that is certainly a topic that's had lots of discretion and not a topic for
what we're dealing with at this point.
Just actually it's here to continue to be here.
Some of y'all want to take that up to me.
That's a topic for different people.
I don't see that we have an expert online that can answer that question right at the moment.
If you'd like to email me and put you in touch with someone that can answer that.
Yeah, who were the native fish there?
Are they still there?
Again, that's a question that we don't have the expertise
to answer at this current meeting.
So I recommend that you email our board clerk and both of you
up to someone who can answer it.
All right, thank you.
Thank you.
Any other questions?
Not at this point.
I just wanted to give a couple of things, I want to thank the board, all you all, and
Matt, you know what I'm like, and especially thanks to Jack, you know, putting this
help, you know, performin' it together, Leslie, Garcia, and John, I know you were a big part
of this as well.
this is touching how it's got emotional just hearing people speak up about this I've
been bringing it up I think every year since you guys know we're great so I've been doing
this for nine years I've been a part of the water operator for the big point by you try
I've been on my left and onto a few boards for my try and remember and I set up a couple boards
the non-none data site as well.
So I just want to thank special thanks to Sally and Noah.
We've been, like I said, we've been bringing this up every year.
I know past Supervisor says, you know, big fine is taking it on the chin.
And it was really not, but at that time, you know, like Rick, you've been there, you said,
it's either on or off, and there was like no in between it.
You know, you know, the track, but I want to see the fish stop.
Well, we just want to see, you know, it's impacting that, that this brings actually
is impacting, you see how far is going up, Sally's short of a presentation, but on
the reservation is what we have 100 foot groundwater death and some locations, and that is
because of those excess pumping, so it's kind of unfortunate that, you know, a lot of people are
suffering because of this because of course we do love the fish, we love the economy, you
know it's a economic you know thing for for the county and I think now it's to the
point where the desecration and the environmental injustice has really yet that it's
point to where it's it's definitely known on wind events now there's just
just going over there because there's no vegetation there's no groundwater and I think
you are obviously seeing in four months and eight point five feet recovery and some of the
aquifers is a
tremendous and I think that
You know us coming together and not blame each other but working with each other and I can a cooperative manner and trying to you know
See what the best way to alleviate this. I know this is an emotional spot for me because that's for my family comes from the same as Noah
So I know that my family used to, you know, do their ceremonial, you know,
cleansing, different things, you know, in that spring.
And so I just want to thank everybody of the agencies as well for coming out.
The people that showed up, I, you know, I came out.
I care about this and why I care about people.
And I think it's, this is good to see.
So thank you, dear.
Thank you.
Thank you for pushing this over the years, and obviously we wanted to.
The only important, we'll use it, mine.
This change happens slowly, but only when a few good people work hard to make it happen quickly.
You will wear those good things.
With that.
I'm just sure I didn't like to mention.
Yeah, go ahead.
I did like to mention that there are representatives from DWP on the zoo.
Also, if any of you from DWK would like to make a comment,
I apologize for this in you on my first house through.
Well, there are the WP people who would like to make a comment.
Please raise your hands now.
We have had them for us being promoted as a chief.
Thank you.
I'm going to be able to hear it.
Yes.
Oh, you hear me?
Yes.
Very, very, very good.
Thank you.
Leslie, no problem. I did, I did catch that. I know there was several of us on, so I appreciate you, given the opportunity for us to speak.
You know, I want to first thank, you know, Noah and Sally for a good great presentation and also CDFW for their presentation as well.
I think overall, the message that we have right now is that we're working very closely with CDFW.
We talked about the 12% reduction in the overall amount of water production there out of the big kind of wealth field.
That's going well at this point.
We, you know, efforts from DWP, it's over 150 hours worth of, of, of, of, of engineering
time of time with, with, with the water mechanics at of independence to try to resolve
kind of the overall question seed of W for, you know, the reduction in pumping to, but still
allow for productions and green of fish.
And so we worked kind of close with that.
done three different pump tests out there and just really supporting that and that came through with
some great discussions that we had with with C2FW with with the Heidi Calvert about, you know,
kind of what role that that didn't peak and help out with this reduction and we have offered that.
So that that information has been provided to C2FW. At this point, I talked to Heidi last week
It looks like they're going through some of the funding decisions, and they look like going into next fiscal year, they should be able to work on bringing in those, those vows to go over all and and reduce some of those.
that information or that pumping number.
So that's going well.
Overall, you know, we're talking about the pumping
and what's going on.
I think, you know, kind of catching that discussion between
County Council with Mr. Relay Ho and also with the doctor here
on Stionwan in regards to, you know, this issue here and how
we're managing this.
Well, water and with civil intelligence and in your county are discussed within the
standing committee.
I think that's, we have a process for that with representatives from both sides and we discussed
those things and I think that was brought up by county council.
And also for mitigation that right now for the areas for around the springs.
We talked about the water, the pump water and how that's mitigation for the spring.
and then also talked about, you know, just the metals and areas around that, that was all taken up
within the InULA agreement as part of the Lord mitigation, as Dr. Steinwann brought up as well.
So all of those things are out there. You know, those things have been discussed way before me,
before you got hired on with the WP, those have been going on for a long, long time in terms of
discussions moving forward with this, but those things would have to be brought forth within the process that we currently have with an e-mail a agreement and, you know, and based on, you know, the leadership that will have from the supervisors as well as with my board of art commissioners, we could then see how we can move some of these ideas forward. So that's, that's overall kind of the overall thoughts and comments that I have related to this issue.
Thank you for your input. Thank you.
I'd just go one comment. That is, I want to thank everybody once again. You gave credibility to my excite. When I said it was excited in the beginning. Sometimes I get excited and, you know, it's like, oh, yeah, right. So, but I think we need more than just excitement. We need to walk our path. And Paul and I have been, we know each other for a long time. I've got a total of respect for Paul.
And Sally, we haven't always agreed, and the reason we haven't always agreed is because, you know, it takes movement to get from point A to point B.
I mean, we can pot a lot, everybody can give the big group big hooks.
But now it's time to actually make some movement.
And I think we can do it.
I think on this project, for example, I think we can actually make some movement.
And that's going to influence other projects.
I think somebody else mentioned it.
Maybe it was Terry.
We got a mitigation measures and we had a work on it.
And let's make them work.
Let's not just scream at each other because it doesn't do that much yet.
We actually need to make some movement.
And I think this is a great start.
I heard excitement from people that I didn't even know.
So I'm glad they're excited.
So thanks again, guys, I think this is the way to do it.
It's the way to move forward, and now we actually have to make some move.
All you taught me, you taught me well, the other day enough.
Read over there.
Any other comments?
No, no, Mr. Chair.
Any other comments from the board?
I'd like to invite Sally or no, or if you'd have come up and give us some details of the logistics of the field trip.
Or I can also do more details of headquarters.
They're also, sorry, they have been comments from the audience here,
but
to get there from here. First of all, you may want to grab something to eat because there
are no restaurants between the fish hatchery, which is south of the town of Big Pine.
You want to go over the poverty hills and turn left on south of the fish screens road and
continue up that road for about a mile and a half. And there's a sign showing where the
on the left-hand side.
When we get there, we should have some shade structures set up
in the parking lot, hopefully some drinks,
and you will want to wear a hat since sunscreen
and from there, we'll have a discussion
inside who wants to continue on,
because we're not getting a tour of the hat tree.
Because of the recent outbreak of this lack of caucus,
they are taking steps to feel with that,
And I don't think they want us in their way.
And that's why they present virtually.
So what we could do is go south of the hatchery
and go over towards that five-acre pond area
and take a look at that and talk about these options
and a little more detail for whoever wants to do that.
And I'm pretty sure you'll be chairing
and I'm chairing whatever.
The chairing and the meeting from the parking lot,
we get there.
Good question, see you later.
You know, I just wanted to say, you know, thank you to Fish and Wildlife for even though the seller referred to the actions going on, making the parking lot available for us to kind of base out up. So thank you guys.
Appreciate what you've done. Appreciate having you here.
Not an easy time, you know, so anyway, I know Mr. Chair, you wanted to adjourn and then reconvene in the parking lot as that results.
Yeah, I believe that we missed, I know we missed at least one public comment.
Oh, right, marginalized.
I saw some houses over here.
Yeah.
That was your opportunity.
Yes.
Thank you.
This is very brief.
I'm a student.
I'm very interested in it.
I heard an agriculture here.
And right.
Very grave.
I just wanted to mention the names of the four native fish.
I
was hoping that we should.
from fish and water.
I was a one-spot fish, a one-spot-per-per-per-per-per.
I was two-jump and one-spot-pits.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think I was probably talking about it.
Same thing.
So I know it's just me of one, but maybe if we twist it the 115, that would fit into the time to grab a little 50, that's it.
Is there any problem or just simply if we do that?
Okay, moving to 115, not 116.
There might be people that are trying, if they're planning to do the tour that are not here today.
So if we could have someone, I'll be there, I'll get there.
Okay, that's great.
Thank you.
So if I send you no more public coming up here or on the computer,
if you're not on the computer, we will recess our DNA here.
All right.
So recess our DNA and we'll reconvene out.
One 15 parking lot is Christian.
Thank you.