KLAMATH TMDL: The North Coast Water Quality Control
Board will be receiving oral comments on the Klamath and Lost River Total Maximum Daily
Loads (TMDL) on Wednesday, January 27 at 10 a.m. at The Holiday Inn Express in Yreka. The
proposed TMDL and action plan can be downloaded here:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/tmdls/klamath_river/Written
Comments are due no later than February 9 at 5 p.m. and may be sent to: North Coast
Regional Water Quality Control Board , c/o Katharine Carter, 5550 Skylane Blvd, Suite A,
Santa Rosa, CA 95403 or e-mailed to kcarter@waterboards.ca.gov
The “Summary”
of the changes to the Klamath TMDL indicates that the modeling of nutrients in the Klamath River, natural conditions and upper river
contributions has been revised. There is additional documentation as to the decisions and
assumptions made that underlie the modeling. There were revisions made to the technical
TMDL text regarding nutrients, water quality and fish disease, temperature impacts and
objectives for dissolved oxygen. Natural temperature conditions for the Scott River have been updated.
The
recommendation for a basin-wide conditional waiver for agriculture remains in the plan.
However, interim requirements on agriculture (including the Scott and Shasta) to develop
water quality and ranch management plans has been removed. Instead, a basin-wide “public
stakeholder process” to address agriculture and develop conditional waivers has been
recommended for adoption by 2012. (There are recommendations as to measures landowners
should take in the interim.) Existing waivers in the Scott and the Shasta could be revised
at the renewal of their TMDL Action Plans or replaced with the new basin-wide conditions.
Newly adopted
“Anadromous Salmonid Protection Rules” regarding riparian shade will be
applicable to timber activities. The “Thermal Refugia Protection Policy”
proposed for suction dredge mining remains.
Also, at the
request of PacifiCorp, a coarse analysis of the potential environmental impacts of dam
removal, (aesthetics, air quality, biological, water quality) is included.
REVIEW OF THE
AUDITOR/CONTROLLER’s OFFICE: Upon the recommendation of the finance committee,
the Board of Supervisors has contracted with Pamela Kindig, (retired Napa County Auditor,)
to conduct a review of the Siskiyou County Auditor/Controller’s (A/Cs) Office. Ms.
Kindig will review the duties and responsibilities of our A/C; operational procedures of
the various divisions within the office; look at operational procedures pertaining to the
County’s “cost allocation plan”; analyze current payroll process and
procedures; analyze process and procedures for the administration of special districts;
review and make recommendations about the Auditor’s role in the budget process;
review the property tax allocation processes and procedures; and analyze processes and
procedures concerning grants.
The Auditor is an elected position that is currently open. Candidates
will be voted on in June. The Board of Supervisors was of the opinion that these interim
months would be a good time to collect information and recommendations that would be made
available to the new County Auditor.
SISKIYOU COUNTY STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE: The Board of Supervisors took the
opportunity to begin a review progress on implementing the County’s Strategic Plan http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/docs/Siskiyou%20County%20Strategic%20Plan%202008.pdf
I will try and highlight our progress in future columns.
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