Fish ladder water shortage feared
by Jesse Phelps

Is something fishy with the Robles Diversion? According to the Casitas Municipal Water District, a number of mountains remain to be scaled before we see the completion of the proposed fish passage in the Ventura River channel near Meiners Oaks.
The district has called a public meeting Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Sunset Elementary School cafeteria at 400 Sunset Drive in Oak View, to discuss the most pressing issues with concerned members of the public.
The latest in a long history of setbacks is a debate over the amount of water needed for release to allow passage of the endangered southern steelhead. The agency claims that if it consistently releases the amount of water said to be required by the National Marine Fisheries Service for the passage of fish, a result could be water shortages for its customers.
Board director Jim Coultas summed up the central issue by saying when his customers "get in the shower and they turn it on, they want water. They want it clean and healthful. And when they open the bill every two months, they want it to be real cheap. That's our function. That's what we're trying to do."
NMFS specs require the release of 3,200 acre-feet annually, while CMWD maintains that anything over 2000 acre-feet would exceed its safe yield.
On Monday, district general manager John Johnson, accompanied by Coultas and PR consultant Alex Hulanicki, led a tour for local press to explain this and other complex issues surrounding the proposed fish ladder project.
After a general information session, the caravan arrived at the Robles Diversion for a look at the existing structure and the plans for the proposed passage. The finished ladder would be engineered specifically for steelhead, including a stainless steel screen to keep smaller fish upstream with a fish-safe screen-cleaner that operates automatically.
"Every safety device we can provide for the fish is in there," said Coultas.
California Trout, a non-profit environmental group involved in the project, estimates the total population of southern steelhead at around 100 fish. But even should the ladder be completed in time to save the dwindling population, another barrier remains before the fish can reach the backwaters up Matilija Canyon.
The 198-foot Matilija Dam, a somewhat dilapidated structure that critics says serve no current function, would need to be torn down. Massive amounts of silt that have built up over the years would need to be piped out.
Coultas estimates the total buildup of silt at 7 million cubic yards and says that without taking out the dam, a maximum of a "couple hundred fish" could occupy the river. He said "It's relatively simple to remove the dam" but to pipe out the silt would be a time-consuming process.
Two options exists for its removal. In one scenario, two massive pipelines would take water from the ocean and use it to push the silt out down the channel. While that would take time and money, the other option - to naturally let the silt drain over time - could take decades. Furthermore, he pointed out, when the first big flood hits, "you might be swimming in Meiners Oaks."
Johnson reiterated that he felt the various agencies involved, the community, "the environmentalists" and the district "all agree" about the need to build the fish passage. Yet, he reiterated, the district is also concerned with making sure its customers have water in the years to come.
Lake Casitas has a spill level of 254,000 acre feet, or about 82 and a half billion gallons. Despite the recent rains, the lake remains "about 24 feet" below capacity, according to Johnson.
The district derives 30 percent of its revenue from its Lake Casitas recreation area, and even now, its primary boat ramp is unusable because of the diminished water levels.
Should the district decide to release the water for the ladder, worries about the water levels could be compounded by additional monetary concerns. The district stands to lose about $4 million in the near future as time-sensitive grants from the Department of Fish and Game and the Coastal Conservancy could be revoked during the first few months of 2003 if construction has not begun.
If NMFS issues an order to build the fish passage facility, the need for an Environmental Impact Report could be averted, say CMWD officials, and construction could begin, saving grant funding. But "during extended dry years, the release of water for fish could significantly impact the water supply and water costs for the District's customers, recreation users, and agriculture."As Hulanicki put it, "We're dammed if we do, damned if we don't."Hulanicki's presence has already been a cause for some debate in the community. With the information currently on the table, one might draw two very different conclusions about a specially hired PR consultant in the CMWD office.The cynic might surmise that CMWD is playing both sides of the river, as it were, hiring Hulanicki to promote the party line of we-all-want-the-fish-passage, while simultaneously raising issues that clog the works. The optimist might believe CMWD truly is the little agency caught in a big bind. The truth is that six years down the road, no fish ladder exists in the Robles Diversion and significant district resources have been spent. CMWD stands to lose money if the fish passage is not constructed and the fish stand to lose everything. The district now finds itself, once again, at an impasse.The meeting on Dec. 18 promises to shed more light on all these issues. The district is considering several options for moving forward and all concerned citizens are encouraged to attend and voice their opinions.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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