Nick Wilcox: Water in Nevada County - Part I

Published on Jul 21, 2008 - 9:01:11 AM

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By: Nick Wilcox, Penn Valley CA

As you sit drinking your coffee and look out the window at Lake Wildwood, or as you drive about Nevada County and observe the water flowing in Squirrel Creek, Deer Creek, or the Yuba, have you ever wondered about the origins of the water? We tend to take our waterscape for granted, but without water there would be no life as we know it. The only environmental input more immediate is the air we breathe. Our bodies are a reflection of the importance of water, as we are about 65 percent water by weight. Loren Eiseley once said, "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." On many levels, I believe he is correct.

We live in a "hydraulic" society. The history of California can be viewed in terms of our ability to divert and store water for use during the dry season, far from the natural streams. Our local water purveyor, Nevada Irrigation District (NID), is an excellent example of this principle.

The Gold Rush brought many to this area seeking their fortunes. Placer mining in the stream channels gave way to large scale hydraulic mining, a process in which water cannons washed away entire hillsides to recover meager amounts of gold. These mines required large amounts of water, far from the original source. An elaborate system of canals and reservoirs was constructed to provide the water supply.

The environmental impacts of hydraulic mining proved to be unacceptably large and the practice was halted by the courts in 1884. The hydraulic infrastructure remained, however, and the water found new uses as the foothill agricultural economy began to grow.

By the early 1900's the canals were underutilized and falling into disrepair. A group of farsighted citizens, recognizing the value of a reliable and plentiful water supply, commissioned engineering studies and in 1921 NID was formed by a vote of the people of Nevada County. In 1926, a portion of Placer County elected to join NID, thus creating the District boundary, much as we know it today. The engineering studies created a long range plan for the District, a plan which took many years to complete because of financial constraints, but which is now essentially realized.

Today, NID operates 10 major reservoirs with a total usable storage capacity of 240,600 acre feet of water. (An acre foot of water would cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot). For comparison, Lake Wildwood has a capacity of 3,840 acre feet. NID operates and maintains over 400 miles of canals to convey the water from its high mountain sources in the vicinity of Jackson Meadows Reservoir and Bowman Lake to its 24,500 treated and agricultural water customers in Placer and Nevada counties. The system operates entirely by gravity flow, generating significant amounts of hydroelectric power along the way. The high point in the District is English Mountain (8,373 ft) to the east of Bowman Lake; the low point is 150 feet above sea level near the City of Lincoln in Placer County.

So, where does the water come from? The answer depends on the time of year. If it is winter time, then much of what you see is natural runoff arising within the Deer Creek or Squirrel Creek watersheds. If you are looking during the irrigation season (mid April - mid October), then the majority of what you see is water imported to the watersheds from another source.

If one were to trace a molecule of water through the system, it could start as a snowflake on English Mountain. The spring snowmelt would release it from the snowpack where it would find its way into the Middle Fork of the Yuba River. As the molecule passed the Milton Diversion Dam on the Middle Yuba, it would have a high probability of being drawn into the Milton/Bowman Tunnel, where it would eventually flow to PG&E's Spaulding Lake on the South Fork of the Yuba River. At this point about 60 percent of NID's water would enter the Bear River portion of the system to serve southern Nevada County and Placer County. The balance enters NID's Deer Creek system where it serves northern Nevada County, including Nevada City, Grass Valley and the greater Penn Valley area, including Lake Wildwood and Squirrel Creek.

More on this in the next article, which will focus on local infrastructure, water rights and water quality issues.

Nick Wilcox lives in Penn Valley. He is a retired Environmental Scientist who focused on statewide water right and water quality issues with the State Water Resources Control Board.

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