U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division leaders discuss pressing environmental issues

By Nicholas SimeoneMay 20, 2015

Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division
Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division examines salmon at Lake Sonoma's Don Clausen Fish Hatchery. The facility is working to ensure the region's Coho salmon, once threatened with extinction, continu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Lake Sonoma, CA -- Led by commander Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, leaders from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division held three days of meetings this month at this picturesque Northern California retreat, getting a firsthand look at Corps environmental restoration projects in the region, some of which are threatened by drought, and holding extensive discussions on issues affecting a range of division operations.

The Regional Governance Board was held in the shadow of Lake Sonoma's Warm Springs Dam, a setting that served as a reminder of the severe drought facing California, and for discussion of some of the most pressing water-conservation issues facing the San Francisco District. The Corps is working with federal, state and local water and environmental officials along with property owners in the region to help strike a balance between preserving water levels in the lake -- a reservoir that is the source of water for some 600,000 Sonoma county residents -- while ensuring that severely reduced flows in the Russian River Basin do not threaten endangered salmon and steelhead trout with extinction for a second time.

"We know that the state is going through some unprecedented drought that we've never experienced," said Gen. Toy, adding that the Corps is working with California water authorities and other stakeholders to mitigate the drought's impact including monitoring levels in Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino farther to the north, as well as keeping a close eye on local Coho and Chinook salmon and trout.

"It's a responsibility we have as a Corps to be a teammate and a partner with them. It's clearly going to be something that's not going away and we're going to have to meet that challenge head on," the general said.

MANAGING LOCAL FISH STOCKS

The nearby Russian River, which winds through the heart of California's wine country, was once home to the region's largest population of Coho salmon but their numbers fell to near extinction by 2001 in part because of high water flows released by Warm Springs Dam and the consequential blockage of upstream migration. On a tour of the Dry Creek tributary, San Francisco District's Chief of Operations and Readiness Mike Dillabough briefed Division leaders on a 12 year project to enhance a six mile stretch of the creek that will provide a sanctuary for salmon and steelhead from faster moving currents.

DON CLAUSEN FISH HATCHERY

During the conference, division leaders got a close up look at salmon at Sonoma's Don Clausen Fish Hatchery, the only recovery hatchery north of the San Francisco Bay built to replenish self sustaining populations of salmon in the Russian River watershed. Owned by the Corps and managed jointly with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the hatchery raises and releases an estimated 250,000 offspring every year. But low water levels are raising concerns that the Corps may have to step in to ensure that released salmon are not threatened again, this time by low water levels triggered by the continuing drought.

ABOVE ALL, TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE REMAINS TOY'S TOP CONCERN

Despite the on-going drought, Gen. Toy described the environmental challenges it poses for the Corps as just one of many issues he faces as leader of the South Pacific Division, which covers a huge swath of the American Southwest. "I spend a lot of my time trying to deal with the higher level issues because I've got four great commanders and four great [deputy project managers] who can handle the day to day issues," he said. Overall, he believes the face to face contact he had with division leaders in the relaxed setting of the Lake Sonoma resort will pay dividends. "What's important to me is not only taking care of people who are our partners, stakeholders and sponsors but taking care of our own workforce. That's our big challenge here."