Talk:Merced River

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Contents 1 Length 2 Initial assessment 3 Irrigation and fish 3.1 Fish spawning 3.2 Algae control in canals 3.3 Fish farms 4 Mining

[edit] Length

How long is the Merced River? --
This question first mentioned as User:84.138.120.30 on 20 Nov. 2005 (UTC)
--84.138.110.170 07:35, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

The main branch is 180 km (112 mi) long. Source: [1], there are other branches. You probably could have dug this up yourself, it took me all of 45 seconds. I can add it to the article, or whoever. IvoShandor 14:38, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Added. IvoShandor 14:46, 22 April 2007 (UTC)a

[edit] Initial assessment

Beyond a stub. to become a "B" article it needs expansion especially in ecology and management need more sourcing and images. Anlace 02:55, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Irrigation and fish

[edit] Fish spawning

The Merced Irrigation District is responsible for controlling water flow-rates in the river. Its original purposes in doing this were to divert irrigation water, let utilities generate hydro-electric power, and control flooding. Along with these water rights, the MID now has a responsibility to encourage fish spawning. It does this by maintaining water flow-rates in the river during particular seasons of the year, and by "improving" the river. MID receives state funds to pay for the fish projects. The current sources for this are personal communications from my father, when he worked at the MID regulating the water flow-rates in the river. It would be nice to be able to "upgrade" this citation. Some possible sources: MID board meeting minutes, MID official publications, State of California publications describing its fish spawning projects, press releases or magazines by irrigation district trade organizations, terms of the MID's licenses to operate its dams, newspaper articles (if any) in the Modesto Bee, Merced Sun-Star, and/or San Francisco Chronicle. -- Jasper 17:12, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

Pages VI 15-16 of Merced County's Year 2000 General Plan (adopted December 4, 1990) discuss fish runs and fish farms along the Merced River.

I have "upgraded" the citation for the fish spawning, to use:

• Merced River Salmon Habitat Enhancement Project and Robinson Reach Phase: Initial Study / Environmental Assessment, March 5, 2001.

-- Jasper 19:11, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Algae control in canals

An interesting question -- what measures does the MID have in place to prevent its algae-killing chemicals from entering the Merced River? During the 1980's and 1990's, the MID occasionally (as in once to a few times per year) used copper-containing chemicals to kill algae in some canals that drain to the Merced River. Although the MID scheduled these algae-killing actions at times when all of the water in the affected canals was scheduled to be used by farmers (instead of continuing into the river), it is possible that some fish were killed (either in fish farms or in the river). Again, my source is personal communications from my father when he worked as a ditchtender. He often needed to drag algae out of canals in the middle of the night, so he occasionally requested that algae control measures be taken. -- Jasper 17:12, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

According to Chapter 3 of the following document:

• Aquatic Pesticide Monitoring Program Phase 3 (2004) Monitoring Project. Edited by Geoffrey Siemering. SFEI Contribution 391. San Francisco Estuary Institute. Oakland, California.

The MID now uses acrolein to control algae. The water-control issues (and the canals in question) are the same as those my father dealt with. -- Jasper 19:34, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fish farms

There are a few fish farms in the Merced River watershed, both along the river, and along Merced Irrigation District canals. Here are the water discharge requirements for one farm four miles east of Snelling:

• Order No. R5-2004-0119

-- Jasper 19:47, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mining

According to page IV-11 of Merced County's Year 2000 General Plan (adopted December 4, 1990), Western Stone Products is a sand and gravel extraction and processing operation located off S.R. 59 near the Merced River, about five miles west of Snelling. Page VI-18 states that, "Geologically speaking, sand and gravel deposits are relatively young. Merced River deposits are estimated to be 10 thousand years old."