Jan. 2—The Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved a $30 million grant agreement with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday for the design of a fish channel at Daguerre Point Dam.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham previously said that Daguerre Point Dam is a difficult barrier to fish species that can’t regularly access their native habitats just beyond the dam.
Through a collaboration between Fish and Wildlife, Yuba Water Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the fishway project could bring about a new, river-like bypass and a modernized water diversion at Daguerre Point Dam to supply irrigation water south of the lower Yuba River.
The project could also help launch a comprehensive reintroduction program with the goal of bringing native Chinook salmon back to their original habitat in the North Yuba River.
In May 2023, the Yuba Water Agency, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the National Marine Fisheries Service entered into a term sheet to establish the framework for a settlement agreement to carry out the habitat restoration plan.
So far, Yuba Water and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have separately negotiated the terms of a $30 million grant agreement, which will contribute to the design, planning, environmental review and potential implementation of the Daguerre Point fishway project.
According to Yuba Water Agency General Manager Willie Whittlesey, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is required to award these funds even though the settlement agreement for the overall restoration plan is not yet complete. Yuba Water will also commit $30 million to the project, but obligations from both parties will only take effect if the settlement agreement is fully executed during the grant term.
“The settlement agreement is contingent on the grant agreement. The grant agreement is contingent on the settlement agreement. What this does is it solidifies the (California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s) $30 million commitment,” Whittlesey said.
New leadership
Also on Tuesday, the Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors unanimously appointed Jon Messick as the new chairman for 2024 with Gary Bradford serving as vice chair.
“I appreciate the board’s vote of confidence to lead this year,” Messick said in a statement. “There are some really big, really important efforts all coming to fruition this year, and I’m honored to be trusted with a leadership role as we advance strategic priorities that will have a lasting impact on Yuba County.”
The Board of Directors consists of all five members of the Yuba County Board of Supervisors plus two elected seats representing north and south Yuba County. Messick joined the board in 2023 after being elected to the Board of Supervisors to represent District 5, which includes Yuba County’s foothill communities.
Bradford was named vice chair after serving as chairman for the past two years. He has served on the board since 2017 through his role as a Yuba County supervisor representing District 4, which includes Plumas Lake and Wheatland.
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