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Water Sampling

The Sampling of Tule Pond is just one of the many places that gets sampled on and around the Rancheria. Sampling occurs every Quarter or Monthly depending on the project. Other areas that Water Quality is monitored at are Kayan Meadow or Duck Pond, Frog Pond, The New Housing Pond, the Culverts draining into and out of the Casino parking lot, Hammond Slough, and the Newly placed culverts located at the corner of Old Lake County Rd. and Pyle Rd. that drain into Frog Pond.

The current Water Quality Parameters that are being monitored and submitted to the EPA as required. New to our Sampling Plan is collecting samples for Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorous. These require more than field measurements and observations, they require the sample to be submitted to Alpha Labs within 24 hours of collection to insure the sample stays fresh..

Over time these parameters can indicate trends in the Rancherias Water Quality and better help the Water Resource Office to respond appropriately with the supporting data to back it up.

WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS

Temperature- is an important indicator of the general condition of a water body and the ecosystem it supports. The following processes are all effected by water temperature. Dissolved Oxygen levels, photosynthesis of aquatic plants, metabolic rates of organisms, and the sensitivity of aquatic organisms to toxic substances parasites and disease.

Turbidity- is a measure of the clarity of a water body and is related to erosion and sedimentation which impacts streams and lakes. Turbidity can affect the oxygen content and light penetration of the water.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)- Serves as an indicator of the biological health of a water body. DO levels can fluctuate throughout the day and are affected by changes in water temperature and the concentration of organic materials.

pH- is a measurement of acidity or alkalinity and affects many chemical and biological processes in a water body. Changes in pH can be caused by a variety of factors, including: acid rain, mining activities, and wastewater discharges.

Total Nitrogen- is an essential nutrient for plants and animals. However an excess amount of nitrogen in water can lead to low levels of dissolved oxygen and negatively alter various plant life and organisms. Sources of nitrogen include: Wastewater treatment plants, runoff from fertilized lawns and croplands, failing septic systems, runoff from animal manure and storage areas, and industrial discharges that contain corrosion inhibitors.

Total Phosphorous– is an essential nutrient for plants and animals. It is naturally limited in most fresh water systems because it is not as abundant as carbon and nitrogen; introducing a small amount of phosphorous in a waterway can have adverse effects. Sources of phosphorous include soil and rocks, wastewater treatment plants, runoff from fertilized lawns and cropland, runoff from animal manure storage areas, disturbed land areas, drained wetlands, water treatment, decomposition of organic matter and commercial cleaning preparations.

Stranded Hitch

Hitch Recovery Program

Robinson Rancheria received a Tribal Wildlife Grant from US Fish & Wildlife in 2005 for a Hitch Recovery Program that included the following elements:

Tribal Habitat Conservationist * Hitch Observation Program

Water Quality Sampling * Identification of Migration Barriers

Modification of Clover Creek Weir * Habitat Restoration using Native Plants * Coordination with other agencies

Outreach and Education

To see a presentation on work that was done and future planning, please click on Hitch Presentation

Adult members of the sub-species lavinia exilicauda chi, which can reach a maximum length of 14 inches (in the case of the noticeably larger females) and weigh a pound or more, spend most of their time deep in the waters of Clear Lake, where as "filter feeders" they subsist primarily on plankton. It is said to be

nearly impossible to catch them on a hook and line, and although they are occasionally caught accidentally in the nets of commercial fishermen they are otherwise seldom observed by human beings at all. But every spring for a few weeks—or occasionally for a few months—these ordinarily invisible fish suddenly emerge into view.

As the days start to lengthen and temperatures warm, and the winter's rains fill the tributaries of the lake, schools of hitch

begin to move upstream to their spawning grounds. The run can begin as early as the beginning of February, and continue as late as May or even June, but "prime time" for hitch most often comes in the month of March. Schools of migrating adults were once almost unimaginably abundant—numbering in the millions if not the billions—but have been greatly reduced in recent years. When a gravid female finds a place

she likes—clean gravel bottoms and shallow rapidly flowing water seem to be preferred though this preference is by no means absolute—she begins to swish her body back and forth preparatory to laying her eggs, though no nest is excavated. A cluster of males gathers around her, eager to fertilize them. The spawning adults splash vigorously, with parts of their bodies frequently emerging from the water.

After spawning, the adults do not die as salmon do, but instead make their way back to Clear Lake: it is surmised that the females swim downstream immediately after spawning, but that the males may linger in the creeks in hopes of finding another opportunity to breed. Immediately after being laid the eggs absorb water, swell to about four times their original size, and sink to the bottom, bound together in thick masses of shiny golden jelly. The roe settles into crevices between t

he stones, and when conditions are right can be so abundant that the gravel bottom of the creek is largely obscured. After five to ten days the eggs hatch out into tiny fry that resemble mosquito larvae at first. They stay near the location where they were spawned for another five to ten days, until they can swim well enough to start moving downstream. The journey back towards Clear Lake takes several weeks, and after reaching the lake the young fish stay near the shoreline for another three months or so before heading out to deep waters, where they remain until they reach breeding age and are ready to begin the cycle all over again.

Water Program Grants
Water Grants currently being funded to the Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center

Fish and Wildlife Grant- Hitch Monitoring Program
BIA Water Resource Management Program
CWA Section 106 Program
CWA Section 319 Program
CWA Non-Point Source Competitive Program
Wetland Program Development Grant