CALAVERAS RIVER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Working Together To Manage Our Resources
Introduction
The Stockton East Water District (SEWD) and Calaveras County Water District (CCWD) joined forces to develop a watershed management plan (WMP) for the Calaveras River watershed. The plan was developed in collaboration with regulatory and community stakeholders to provide the districts and the community with a framework for understanding and managing the Calaveras River watershed. Funding for the plan was provided through a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The districts will use the plan for future watershed management such as baseline water quality monitoring and stream restoration.
Water Treatment Plants Watershed Boundaries County Boundaries Streams Major Rivers Major Water Bodies Line Secondary Highways Major Roads Primary Ramps Primary Highways Minor Roads
SI ER
RA DA VA NE
STOCKTON EAST WATER DISTRICT
6767 E. MAIN STREET PO BOX 5157 STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA 95205-0157
CA L AVERA S COUN TY WAT ER DI ST RI CT
423 EAST CHARLES STREET PO BOX 846 SAN ANDREAS, CALIFORNIA 95249
How do these Concerns Affect Our Community?
Drinking Water Treatment Costs
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White Pines Lake
Cherokee Creek Cows
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Drinking water is treated to provide clean, safe water to the people who are served by the water districts. However, the quality of the water going into the drinking water treatment plants has an impact on treatment costs: the cleaner the water, the cheaper it is to treat for human consumption. Elevated levels of bacteria in water may limit activities such as swimming, skiing, boating, and fishing in local lakes and streams.
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Sheep Ranch WTP
Calaveritas Creek
Recreation Quality and Types
Excess nutrients in water cause algae blooms and growth of grasses and noxious plants in lakes and streams, which limits the quality of the recreational experience. Erosion of soil fills streams and lakes with sediment that limits the quality of the recreational fishery and boating.
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Cosgrove Creek
New Hogan Reservoir
Jenny Lind WTP
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What are Typical Watershed Concerns?
The following is a description of typical concerns found in California watersheds. The development of the WMP will help agencies and organizations better manage these types of concerns if they are identified in the Calaveras River watershed.
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Cherokee Creek
Drinking Water Taste or Odor
Although the water may be safe for drinking, some conditions may create unpleasant odor or taste in treated drinking water.
Bellota
Aesthetics
Erosion can form gullies, slides, and unstable stream banks, which scar the landscape. Eroded soil causes streams and lakes to become murky.
New Hogan Marina
Dr. Joe Waidhofer WTP
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Calaveritas Creek
0 NORTH 5 Scale in Miles
Habitat Quality
Erosion may cause gravels in spawning grounds to fill with sediment; too much sediment reduces the type, quantity, and quality of insects and frogs that live in or along streams and lakes which provide food for fish. Excess nutrients may cause algae blooms that reduce levels of oxygen in streams and lakes that is required for survival of fish, insects, and frogs. Excessive nutrients change the type, quantity, and qualities of plants that grow in streams and lakes.
l Erosion associated with slides, road cuts, unstable
stream and river banks, tilled cropland, burn areas, construction projects, releases from reservoirs, and natural processes.
What is a Watershed?
l Nutrients associated with excess runoff of fertilizer from
urban and agricultural areas; seepage from failed septic systems; spray fields, leachfields, and direct discharge from wastewater treatment plants; sewage spills; releases from reservoirs.
Water enters the watershed through precipitation (rain and snow). Water then travels throughout the watershed in myriad ways including runoff to creeks, streams, and rivers, making its way to lower elevations. All drinking water is treated before consumer use.
SEWD and CCWD Contacts
l Bacteria associated with domesticated and wild animals
in streams; seepage from failed septic systems; sewage spills; erosion of soil and runoff from areas that contain bacteria; and human contact with water. watershed planning, and a changing population and economy.
Stockton East Water District
(209) 948-0333; (209) 948-0423 Fax www.sewd.net
l Inter-agency communication hampered by lack of l Community education limited by lack of watershed
planning. Typical Watershed Process Typical Land Uses Affecting a Watershed
Graphic from Image Earth Graphic from Image Earth
Calaveras County Water District
(209) 754-3543; (209) 754-9620 Fax www.ccwd.org