Draft Recreation Use Plan Presentation Schedule

The location of the February 24^th  Inyo/LA Standing Committee meeting has been changed from Bishop to the Inyo County Administrative Center in Independence (224 North Edwards Street). The meeting is scheduled to begin at 11 am. A presentation of the LORP Recreation Use Plan is item #7 on the Standing Committee agenda.

The location and time of the Lone Pine presentation remains the same: Friday evening, February 24th at 6 pm in the Clubhouse at the Boulder Creek RV Resort (just south of Lone Pine).

For more information about the plan or about these events, please contact Larry Freilich, Inyo County Water Department, Mitigation Manager (760) 878-0011.

LGA grants provide local public agencies with up to $250,000 to conduct groundwater studies or carry out groundwatermonitoring and management activities. Approximately $4.7 million in funding from Proposition 84 is anticipated for the fiscal year 2011-2012 LGA Grant Program.

For additional information  including the draft Guidelines and PSP and proposed schedule, visit http://www.water.ca.gov/lgagrant/

In preparation for the second funding round of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Planning Grant, the Inyo-Mono IRWM Program requested proposals from it’s membership for planning related “projects”.  Those projects were ranked against criteria developed by a specialized working committee in an effort to help the overall proposal meet the requirements of the DWRs Proposal Solicitation Package as well as the goals and objectives of the Inyo-Mono IRWM region.

Final results of the ranking can be found on the following page….http://inyomonowater.org/planning-grant-round-2/

We are continually trying to identify alternative funding resources for our members and aim to improve this effort in the future.  The California Finance Coordinating Committee has announced its Funding Fair dates for 2012.  The link below provides the details of these events.

http://cfcc.ca.gov/res/docs/FINAL_2012_CFCC_Flyer.pdf

Planning Grant proposals will be due March 9, 2012.

To view the final PSP and other related information:  http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/integregio_planning.cfm

BY  MIKE GERVAIS/ Inyo County Register Staff

Officials with the City of Los Angeles say the city is meeting its obligations for water flow down the Lower Owens River, but there is room for improvement in the surrounding areas.
In accordance with the Inyo-L.A. Long-Term Water Agreement, the Los Amgeles Department of Water and Power released its annual Lower Owens River draft report earlier this month, outlining efforts in the past year to restore the river and surrounding habitat.
The LADWP is scheduled to hold a public information meeting to discuss the report at 10 a.m. this coming Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the LADWP offices on Mandich Street Bishop.
The overall goal of the LORP, as stated in a 1997 Memorandum of Understanding between the LADWP and Inyo County, is “establishment of a healthy, functioning Lower Owens River riverine-riparian ecosystem, and the establishment of healthy, functioning ecosystems in the other physical features of the LORP, for the benefit of biodiversity and threatened and endangered species, while providing for the continuation of sustainable ecosystem.”
LORP implementation included release of water from the L.A. Aqueduct to the Lower Owens River and flooding of up to approximately 500 acres of surrounding land.
The project also outlines maintenance requirements of several off-river lakes and ponds, modifications to land management practices and construction of new facilities including a pump station to capture a portion of the water released to the river.
According to the report, the LADWP met all court mandates for water flows (40 cubic feet per second) on the LORP for 2010-11 and met requirements for seasonal habitat flows.
The department said seasonal habitat flows lasted 15 days and six hours, and resulted in the intentional flooding of approximately 1,636 near the lower Owens.
“During the seasonal habitat flow about 77 percent of floodplains and 29 percent of low terraces in the Lower Owens River were inundated,” the draft report states. “Seasonal Habitat Flow flooded extent this year was similar to the 200-plus cfs flow in 2010.”
Overall, the LADWP says it is meeting the goals set forth for the LORP in the 1997 MOU with Inyo County.
“As in 2010, monitoring analysis indicates that the LORP is attaining many MOU goals. The LORP already supports a healthy warmwater fishery in all reaches. Habitat for all indicator species has developed and continues to develop,” the report states. “Biodiversity in wetlands and riverine habitats has increased. Grazing and other land uses are continuing, and recreational activities continue to increase.”
Though the LADWP boasts of many successes in its report, it also points out that there is room for improvement and recommended a number of adaptive management techniques for base flows and seasonal habitat flows, tule encroachment, future water quality, beaver abundance and woody riparian plant development.
The Inyo County-Los Angeles Technical Group is scheduled to discuss the draft report Jan. 18.
The LADWP is releasing the draft report both in hard copy and online to ensure it is available to all who wish to read the full, 200-plus page document.
To pick up a hard copy, go to the LADWP offices at 300 Mandich St. in Bishop. For a digital copy, visit  http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp014969.pdf

The Inyo-Mono Integrated Regional Water Management Program (IRWMP) recognizes that our region is large and that we do not yet understand all water-related issues and concerns that residents in our area are faced with on a daily basis.

Thus, we are asking for your assistance in identifying pressing water related issues and challenges in your community and the types of solutions necessary to address such issues and challenges. We also ask for your help in identifying potential projects that may be suitable for future consideration as part of the Inyo-Mono IRWMP.

The survey below is anonymous and will close on  January 15, 2012.

We thank you in advance for helping us better understand our regional water needs.

Inyo-Mono IRWMP Public Survey

*Please Note if you have any technical issues with the Survey or questions, please contact Holly Alpert or Janet Hatfield at the information below:

holly@inyomonowater.org  or (760) 709-2212

janet@inyomonowater.org or (760) 914-3131

Process Improvement Workshop Schedule