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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.28.2024 Board Correspondence - FW_ Environmental and Recreational Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-000 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al.From:Clerk of the Board To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Lee, Lewis; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth; Loeser, Kamie Cc:Nevers, Dawn Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Environmental and Recreational Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-000 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al. Date:Wednesday, May 29, 2024 8:59:48 AM Please see Board Correspondence - -----Original Message----- From: 'FERC eSubscription' <eSubscription@ferc.gov> Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2024 6:35 AM Subject: Environmental and Recreational Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-000 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al. .ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. On 5/28/2024, the following Filing was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C.: Filer: Pacific Gas and Electric Company PG&E Corporation (as Agent) Docket(s): P-2107-000 Lead Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Filing Type: Environmental and Recreational Compliance Report Description: Pacific Gas and Electric Company submits Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report re the Poe Hydroelectric Project under P-2107. 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Box 28209 Oakland, CA 94604 May 27, 2024 Via Electronic Submittal (E-File) Debbie-Anne Reese , Acting Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 RE: Poe Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2107 Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Dear Secretary Reese: This letter presents the Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Poe Hydroelectric Project, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) No. 2107. Pursuant to the Poe Bypass Reach Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan , approved by FERC April 16, 2021 , PG&E provided a Draft 2023 Fish Monitoring Report and Draft 2022 BMI Monitoring Report to the Forest Service , State Water Resources Control Board , California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and United States Fish and Wildlife Service by email on March 14, 2024 . Over 30 days were allowed for review and comment. CDFW provided their support of the report, no other agencies responded . The Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report is provided in Enclosure 1. The consultation record is provided in Enclosure 2. For questions, please contact PG&E’s license coordinator, Sky Ramirez-Doble, at (530) 250-7002. Sincerely, Matt hew Joseph Supervisor, Hydro License Management Enclosures : 1. 2022 Fish Monitoring Report , prepared by PG&E, dated May 2023 2. Agency Consultation via Email cc: See Attached List Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Debbie-Anne Reese , Acting Secretary May 27, 2024 Page 2 cc: via em ail w/Enclosures Nathan Fish, SWRCB – Nathan.Fish@waterboards.ca.gov Jessica Dyke, SWRCB – Jessica.Dyke@waterboards.ca.gov Kurt Sable, Forest Service – kurt.sable@usda.gov Emily Moghaddas, Forest Service – Emily.moghaddas@usda.gov Lori Cayo, Forest Service - lori.cayo@usda.gov Erika Brenzovich, Forest Service - erika.brenzovich@usda.gov Dawn Alvarez, Forest Service - dawn.alvarez@usda.gov Leigh Bartoo, USFWS - Aondrea_Bartoo@fws.gov Beth Lawson, CDFW - Beth.Lawson@wildlife.ca.gov Michael Maher, CDFW – Michael.Maher@wildlife.ca.gov Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 ENCLOSURE 1 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY Poe Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No. 2107 POE BYPASS REACH FISH MONITORING 2023 ANNUAL REPORT April 2024 FINAL © 2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY Poe Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No. 2107 POE BYPASS REACH FISH MONITORING 2023 ANNUAL REPORT Prepared For: Pacific Gas and Electric Company 245 Market Street San Francisco , CA 94105 Prepared By: FISHBIO 1617 South Yosemite Ave. Oakdale, CA 95361 SPRING RIVERS ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES LLC Post Office Box 153 Cassel, California 96016 April 2024 © 2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Citation: Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 2024. Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report. April 2024 . San Ramon, CA. Prepared by FISHBIO, Chico, CA and Spring Rivers Ecological Sciences LLC, Cassel, CA . Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents i April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................v 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................1 2.0 Consultation........................................................................................................................2 3.0 Methods ...............................................................................................................................3 3.1 Electrofishing ...........................................................................................................3 3.1.1 Electrofishing Sites ......................................................................................3 3.1.2 Electrofishing Survey...................................................................................5 3.1.3 Environmental Conditions and Physical Habitat .........................................7 3.1.4 Electrofishing Data Analysis .......................................................................7 3.2 Snorkeling ................................................................................................................8 3.2.1 Snorkeling Surveys and Data Recording .....................................................8 3.2.2 Snorkeling Sites ...........................................................................................8 3.2.3 Snorkeling Surveys Data Analysis...............................................................9 4.0 Results ...............................................................................................................................10 4.1 Electrofishing .........................................................................................................10 4.1.1 Effort , Environmental Conditions, and Physical Habitat...........................10 4.1.2 Species Composition and Age/Size Classes ..............................................11 4.1.3 Length-Weight Relationships, Condition, Abundance, Density, and Biomass ......................................................................................................16 4.2 Snorkeling ..............................................................................................................20 4.2.1 Effort, Environmental Conditions and Physical Habitat............................20 4.2.2 Species Composition and Size Classes ......................................................20 5.0 Discussion..........................................................................................................................23 5.1 Summary of 2023 ...................................................................................................23 5.2 Comparison to Preceding Surveys .........................................................................24 6.0 Recommendations ............................................................................................................27 7.0 References .........................................................................................................................28 APPENDICES Appendix A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order Appendix B CDFW and USFWS Consultation Emails Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents ii April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company LIST OF TABLES Table 3-1. Poe Bypass Reach electrofishing survey sites and relevant site characteristics in 2023..............................................................................................5 Table 3-2. Poe Bypass Reach snorkel survey sites and relevant site characteristics. ...............9 Table 4-1. Summary of water temperatures (°C) and effort (seconds) during each electrofishing pass at three sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023. ....................................................................................................10 Table 4-2. Summary of physical habitat characteristics at three sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023. All values shown are percentages. .........10 Table 4-3. Summary of fish captured by electrofishing at two sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023. ..................................................................11 Table 4-4. Capture summary, estimated abundance, standard error, and capture probability of electrofishing surveys at two locations on the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. .........................................................................19 Table 4-5. Estimated densities and biomass of fishes at two locations on the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. .....................20 Table 4-6. Survey locations and conditions during snorkel surveys on the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. .........................................................................21 Table 4-7. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Flea Valley Creek in September 2023. ..............................................................21 Table 4-8. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Bardee’s Bar in September 2023. ......................................................................21 Table 4-9. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Poe Beach in September 2023. ..........................................................................22 Table 4-10. Densities of different fish species (all size classes combined) observed during visual observation surveys at different locations on the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. ............................................22 Table 5-1. Summary of fish captured during electrofishing surveys in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021 –2023. .........................................................................................26 Table 5-2. Summary of estimated fish biomass, by species, in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021 –2023. ....................................................................................................26 Table 5-3. Summary of estimated fish densities in monitoring locations sampled by snorkeling, by species, in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021–2023. ......................26 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents iii April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3-1. North Fork Feather River, Poe Bypass Reach electrofishing and snorkel survey locations. ......................................................................................................4 Figure 3-2. Downstream block net at Flea Valley Creek, North Fork Feather River, prior to the first pass of depletion electrofishing on September 19, 2023. ..............6 Figure 3-3. Prickly sculpin captured at Poe Beach on September 20, 2023. ..............................6 Figure 4-1. Length-frequency histogram of rainbow trout captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=62) and Poe Beach (n=19) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars, age categories are indicated in dashed lines (approximate). ...............................................................12 Figure 4-2. Length-frequency histogram of Sacramento sucker captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=214) and Poe Beach (n=86) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars, which do not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (108 i ndividuals at Flea Valley and 273 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. .......................................................................................................13 Figure 4-3. Length-frequency histogram of Sacramento pikeminnow captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=27) and Poe Beach (n=60) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars, which do not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (n=110 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. ...................................13 Figure 4-4. Length-frequency histogram of hardhead captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=7) and Poe Beach (n=57) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars. Histogram does not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (n=208 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. ...................................14 Figure 4-5. Length-frequency histogram of riffle sculpin captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=117) and Poe Beach (n=59) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. ..................................................................................................................14 Figure 4-6. Length-frequency histogram of prickly sculpin captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=26) and Poe Beach (n=18) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. ..................................................................................................................15 Figure 4-7. Length-frequency histogram of smallmouth bass captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=0) and Poe Beach (n=10) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. ........15 Figure 4-8. Length-frequency histogram of speckled dace captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=0) and Poe Beach (n=71) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. ........16 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents iv April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-9. Length-weight relationship of rainbow trout (n=81) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. .....................17 Figure 4-10. Length-weight relationship of Sacramento sucker (n=300) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. ..............17 Figure 4-11. Length-weight relationship of Sacramento pikeminnow (n=87) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. ........18 Figure 4-12. Sacramento sucker with a lesion on the caudal peduncle, captured at Flea Valley Creek on September 19, 2023. ...................................................................18 Figure 5-1. Hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker and speckled dace (top to bottom) captured at Poe Beach on September 20, 2023.............................24 Figure 5-2. Catch composition at Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach in 2021 to 2023. ...........25 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents v April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document describes the 2023 fish monitoring for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Poe Hydroelectric Project (Project), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 2107, at three locations within the Poe Bypass Reach on the North Fork Feather River. The first fish monitoring sampling event planned for 2020 was postponed until September 2021 due to an active wildfire in the vicinity of the Project in September 2020. The postponement pushed back the monitoring schedule by one year. Years 2021, 2022, and 2023 w ere then expected to serve as Block 1 conditions for future comparison of the fish population response under the license-required flow regime. However , due to a flow variance requested by PG&E in 2023 to facilitate Poe Cofferdam for Bypass Project , Years 2021 through 2024 will now be considered Block 1, against which future monitoring results will be evaluated. As specified in the monitoring plan (PG&E 2019), monitoring occurred between September 15 and October 15 (i.e., September 19–21, 2023 ), and the goal to complete monitoring activities by the end of September was met. Monitoring data were collected during a decreased baseflow target release of 55 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Poe Dam, actual discharge was 77 cfs (daily mean) on September 19, 20 and 21 (at license compliance gage NF-23). Depletion electrofishing was conducted at two monitoring locations, Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach, by completing three consecutive passes within sites isolated by block nets. Electrofishing at Bardee’s Bar was dis continued after 2021 surveys due to the presence of deep pools that make the methodology inefficient and unsafe. Captured fish were processed to collect length and weight measurements, subsequently used to estimate weight-length relationships and condition factors (for rainbow trout), evaluate length and age structure of species encountered, and calculate density and biomass estimates for each location. Visual observation (snorkel) surveys were performed at the Poe Beach, Bardee’s Bar and Flea Valley Creek sites . Snorkeling provided indices of abundance , density, and fish community compositions in the deeper habitats. A total of 1,532 individuals, of eight fish species, were captured during backpack electrofishing. The most abundant species overall were Sacramento sucker (n=681; 44.5%), followed by hardhead (n=272; 17.8%), Sacramento pikeminnow (n=1 97; 12.9%) and riffle sculpin (n=11 7; 11.5%). All other species constituted less than 10 percent of total fish catch, including rainbow trout (n=81; 5.3 %), speckled dace (n=71; 4.6%), prickly sculpin (n=44; 2.9 %), and smallmouth bass (n=10 ; 0.7%). As in 2021 and 2022, s mallmouth bass was the only non-native species captured during electrofishing surveys. Speckled dace have been documented annually since 2021, but had not been documented in this reach or adjacent upstream river reaches during relicensing surveys. Fish population biomass estimates ranged from 56.36 kg/ha (Poe Beach) to 118.91 kg/ha (Flea Valley Creek), with most of the variability attributable to variations in abundance of adult Sacramento sucker. Snorkel surveys permitted calculation of standardized index densities for habitats too deep to sample effectively by electrofishing . Counts of hardhead, Sacramento Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents vi April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company pikeminnow and Sacramento sucker during snorkel surveys were dominated by young-of-year (YOY) individuals, which were abundant at most locations. Large schools of YOY required estimation (often several hundred individuals), rather than direct counts, and are thus considered an approximation. The mean Condition Factor of rainbow trout collected in the Poe Bypass Reach was 1.05. Overall, it can be concluded that the fish community in the reach is characterized by abundance levels comparable to other areas in the watershed, a size structure indi cative of multiple age classes (including YOY individuals), a low observed rate of incidence of physical detriments (e.g., injuries, tumors, parasites, etc.), and includes co-evolved species of all trophic levels. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 1.0 Introduction 1 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 1.0 INTRODUCTION On December 17, 2018, t he Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) a new license (License) for the P oe Hy droelectric Project, FERC No. 2 107 (Project) on the North Fork Feather River (NFFR), Butte County, California (FERC 2018). The License incorporates State of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) Conditions into the license articles (SWRCB 2017) and United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service) 4(e ) Conditions (Forest Service 2018). SWRCB WQC Condition 9 and Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. 25 (incorporated into FERC License Article 401), required the creation of a Poe Bypass Reach Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan (Plan; PG&E 2019). In 2019, PG&E in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Forest Service, and the SWRCB (hereafter collectively referred to as “the agencies”) developed and finalized the Plan, which was approved by FERC on April 16, 2020. The Plan specifies that fisheries monitoring should occur in years 2, 3, and 4 (called Block 1) of the first five License years, corresponding to years 2020, 2021, and 2022. Fish and BMI monitoring was scheduled for September 2020 but had to be canceled due to hazards posed by the North Complex Fire. The fire postponement delayed Block 1 monitoring to years 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2023, a flow variance requested by PG &E and approved by FER C (Appendix A ; Order dated July 28, 2023) led to the decision to add an additional sampling year. Due to the addition of the additional sampling year (2024), monitoring years 2021 –2024 will be considered Block 1 against which results from future fish and BMI monitoring would be evaluated. The goal of the Poe Bypass Reach fish population monitoring is to collect fish population information from the three sections of the NFFR Poe Bypass Reach to provide information on the fisheries population response to the new license required minimum instream flows. Specific objectives are as follows: 1. Determine trends in composition, size/age distribution, relative abundance, and biomass for all species and Condition Factor (K) for trout, a target fisheries species. 2. Compare data collected during sampling blocks to document status of the fish community, including any identified response to the change in Project operations or enhancement. This report describes the third year of Block 1 of fish population monitoring conducted for the Project on September 19–21, 2023 and is complementary to the Poe Bypass Reach Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report (PG&E 2024 ). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 2.0 Consultation 2 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 2.0 CONSULTATION After initial consultation in 2019 between PG&E and the agencies to develop, finalize, and receive approval of the Plan by FERC in 2020, PG&E has consulted and requested amendments to the Plan based on access and safety reasons. In 2022 and 2023 backpack electrofishing was not performed at Bardee’s Bar after the 2021 attempt to sample the fish community by backpack electrofishing proved inefficient and unsafe for the survey team due to water depth at this location, despite temporarily reduced discharge. During a meeting with the agencies, PG&E proposed to survey Bardee’s Bar exclusively by snorkeling. The agencies agreed to this change request, which received final approval from FERC prior to the 2023 field sampling (see PG&E 202 3, Appendix A). In 2023, PG&E requested a variance for the following: 1. Temporarily lower flows to 55 cfs, from September 17, 2023, and returning them to baseflow levels on September 27, 2023. 2. Moving the uppermost location for fish sampling from just below the dam to Flea Valley Creek as was done since 2021 surveys. 3. Replace the BMI monitoring site of Stag Creek with Yellow Creek as was done during 2022 surveys. 4. Replace the backpack electrofishing methodology with snorkeling at the Bardee’s Bar site as was done in the 2022 surveys. 5. Changing measurements size classes of fish from 2 inches to 5 inches, as discussed and done in the fish section of the 2022 Fish and BMI report. 6. Dropping the Target Riffle Composite BMI samples as recommended by the CDFW audit as discussed in the 2022 Fish and BMI monitoring report. On July 17, 19, and 21, 2023, the Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service approved this request. On September 15, 2023, the State Water Resource Control Board also approved this request. PG&E filed an approval with FERC July 17, 2023. FERC approved the request on September 28, 2023 (Appendix A). A draft version of this 2023 report was circulated to the Resource Agencies on March 14 , 2024 . Comments from agencies were due on April 15, 2024 . Comm ents received on the draft report are included in Appendix B along with responses from PG&E. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 3 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 3.0 METHODS The Plan (PG&E 2019) stipulates that fish and BMI monitoring occur between September 15 and October 15, with the intention to complete monitoring activities by the end of September. In a letter dated September 28, 2023, FERC dismissed PG&E’s request for a temporary variance of minimum instream flows as moot because the Poe Bypass Reach Fish and BMI Plan allows PG&E to temporary modify flows under certain conditions. Pursuant to the Poe Bypass Reach Fish and BMI Plan PG&E reduced baseflows to 55 cfs to facilitate monitoring efforts ; such reduced flows are not to exceed 10 consecutive days (Appendix A , FERC Order dated September 28, 2024 ). Actual flow releases during monitoring were slightly higher than the permitted variance to allow a buffer for PG&E Operations to remain in compliance; in addition, there was inflow from tributaries. Fish population monitoring was conducted under reduced flows on September 19 (Flea Valley Creek), September 20 (Poe Beach ), and September 21 (Bardee’s Bar; Figure 3-1). During the month of monitoring the license required minimum instream flow in a wet water year is 400 cfs at license compliance Gage NF-23 (also identified as USGS Gage 11404500 and CDEC Station NFP; FERC 2018). PG&E temporarily reduced discharge to approximately 76 cfs at NF-23 (i.e., the targeted 55 cfs plus a buffer) on the fish sampling days. Sampling is conducted during the same time window each year (late September) to ensure that resulting data is comparable from year to year. A temporary reduction in discharge is necessary to permit effective and safe in-river sampling . While this may result in minor and short-term re-distribution of the fish community to adjust to habitat changes resulting from decreased flow (altered depths and current vel ocities compared to baseline flows), inter-annual consistency in the timing and magnitude of the flow variance is expected to constitute a valid approach for evaluating fish community characteristics in the project reach. Monitoring methods consisted of a combination of physical (electrofishing) and visual (snorkel) sampling methods, depending on p hysical characteristics of the habitat sampled. Snorkel surveys were conducted following the completion of the day ’s electrofishing efforts at Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach. 3.1 Electrofishing Backpack electrofishing was conducted in stream reaches identified in the Plan (PG&E 2019) that were sufficiently shallow to accommodate electrofish ing and consisted of mostly of riffle, run, and glide habitats. 3.1.1 Electrofishing Sites At each of the monitoring reaches, a stream segment conducive to backpack electrofishing was selected based on natural breaks in habitat characteristics, water depth, and flow velocity, and delineated in detail on the day of the actual survey at reduced flows. Electrofishing sites identified during regular operating flows could be adequately isolated with block nets for depletion sampling at Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach . Table 3-1 and Figure 3.1 describe the characteristics and locations of the sites. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 4 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 3-1. North Fork Feather River, Poe Bypass Reach electrofishing and snorkel survey locations. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 5 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Table 3-1. Poe Bypass Reach electrofishing survey sites and relevant site characteristics in 2023. Monitoring Site GPS Downstream GPS Upstream Length (m) Mean Depth (m) Area (m2) Gradient (%) Flea Valley Creek N 39.80165 W 121.44692 N 39.80198, W 121.44578 110 0.46 2,530 1.66 Poe Beach N 39.73188 W 121.46710 N 39.73240, W 121.46774 80 0.41 1,890 0.76 3.1.2 Electrofishing Survey Upon arrival at each sampling location, ¼-inch square-mesh block nets were installed at the upstream and downstream boundaries of the sampling site (e.g., Figure 3-2). The net was attached to anchor points on the banks and suspended over metal tripods in the channel. Rocks collected in the stream channel were used to weigh down and secure the nets ’ lead lines to ensure secure contact with the bottom substrate to prevent fish of all sizes from exiting or entering the sampling reach during the depletion survey. Following installation of the block nets, six backpack electrofisher (Smith-Root LR-24 or similar model) operators, each supported by one or two netters, proceeded upstream in unison, activating electrical current at their discretion while ensuring that th e entire stream area was adequately sampled. Fish captured by the netters were promptly transferred to temporary holding buckets, which were in turn periodically transferred to live boxes placed in the river outside the isolated sampling area and away fro m electrical fields generated by the sampling equipment. Three consecutive passes were completed, and effort (i.e., shocking time) was recorded for each operator and pass. Water temperature was measured at the sampling site before each electrofishing pass to ensure that the upper threshold temperature for sampling (i.e., 23 °C), as specified in the Plan , was not exceeded. For processing, several fish at a time were transferred in five-gallon buckets from the live boxes and anesthetized with CO2 by immersion in an Alka-Seltzer Gold solution until loss of equilibrium was observed. All fish were identified to species, using distinguishing morphometric and meristic characteristics as applicable and necessary (Figure 3-3). Anal fin ray counts were used to identify all captured sculpin (riffle sculpin have 12–16 anal fin rays, while prickly sculpin have 16–19). All riffle sculpin had less than 15 anal fin rays, while all prickly sculpin sampled had 17 or more. Following identification, all individuals were measured to the nearest millimeter (mm) fork length (FL; total length [TL] for sculpin species) and weighed to the nearest 0.1 g ram (g). Due to the high abundance of you ng-of-year (YOY) Sacramento sucker, Sacramento pikeminnow, and hardhead, a minimum of 50 individuals of each species in this category were measured at each sampling location. Additional individuals belonging to these categories were counted without obtaining length or weight measurements, as per the Plan (PG&E 2019). Enumeration serves to minimize holding time (consistent with the Scientific Collection Permit) to protect individuals from stress and mortality. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 6 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 3-2. Downstream block net at Flea Valley Creek, North Fork Feather River, prior to the first pass of depletion electrofishing on September 19, 2023. Figure 3-3. Prickly sculpin captured at Poe Beach on September 20 , 2023. Lengths, weights, and notable physical features or anomalies (e.g., injuries, scars, tumors, parasites, etc.), as well as fish condition (e.g., mortalities, if applicable) were noted on standardized Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 7 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company datasheets . After processing, fish were placed in in-river live boxes outside the reach isolated by block nets and released in the vicinity of their capture location after completion of electrofishing. 3.1.3 Environmental Conditions and Physical Habitat The physical habitat was characterized at each electrofishing site, and all measurements recorded on standardized data sheets. The length of each site was measured to the nearest meter using a range finder. Wetted widths were measured at 10-meter intervals throughout the sampling site with a range finder to the nearest m eter , and depths were measured with a stadia rod to the nearest centimeter at 25%, 50%, and 75% of wetted width. The relative habitat composition of the sampling site (i.e., pool, glide, riffle, run), substrate composition (fines [<2 mm], sand [2–7 mm], gravel [7–75 mm], cobble [75 –300 mm], boulder [>300 mm], bedrock), and fish cover type (i.e., surface turbulence, instream object, undercut bank, overhanging vegetation) were estimated, based on consensus among several of the biologists present, and recorded at each sampling site. Additional environmental conditions, including air and water temperature (°C), turbidity (NTU), dissolved oxygen concentration (mg/l), and specific conductivity (µS/cm) were measured and recorded at each sampling site. 3.1.4 Electrofishing Data Analysis Length measurements of fish sampled were used to generate length-frequency histograms for each captured species at each sampling site. Bin sizes were species-specific and selected to permit an accurate visual representation of length composition. Weight-length relationships were fitted to the rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, and Sacramento pikeminnow data in the form 𝑊=𝑎𝐾𝑏, where W is the weight (g) and L is the FL (mm) (the parameters a and b in this equation are calculated by the curve-fitting process). Two condition factors were calculated for rainbow trout, specifically Fulton’s Condition Factor (K), where 𝐾=𝑊 𝐿3 ∗100000 (Fulton 1911) and Fulton’s Condition Factor according to Bagenal and Tesch (K’; 1978), where 𝐾′=𝑊 𝐿𝑏∗100000 and b is the exponent calculated from the length-weight regression. While the Plan (PG&E 2019) specifies the calculation of the Condition Factor according to Fulton’s original formula, this report also includes Condition Factor as proposed by Bagenal and Tesch (1978) to permit comparisons with condition indices from the Rock Creek-Cresta Reach, which used the latter method. Data from electrofishing were also used to generate abundance estimates for each sampling site and species, using the k-pass likelihood estimator presented by Van Deventer and Platts (1983) and implemented in the Microfish software (Van Deventer 1989). The estimator was applied using the “FSA” R package (Ogle 2021). Overall abundance estimates were standardized, for each species, to the number of individuals per uniform units of stream length and area (e.g., fish per mile or fish per acre). Biomass estimates were calculated by multiplying the estimated total abundance of each species by the mean weight of the species’ captured individuals at each site and standardized to kilograms Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 8 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company per hectare (kg/ha) and pounds per acre (lb/ac) to facilitate comparison among sites. For YOY that were counted but not weighed or measured, the mean weight of YOY that were measured for each species and location was multiplied by the count . Mean individual weight for each species was then calculated by dividing the total weight (which includes the estimated weight of counted fish) by the total number of fish captured. 3.2 Snorkeling Snorkel surveys were conducted as a complement to depletion surveys at both electrofishing sampling sites. These surveys were intended to provide abundance and relative species composition in habitats that are too deep for quantitative depletion electrofis hing. As discussed above, at Bardee’s Bar, snorkel surveys were conducted at two locations in lieu of electrofishing, as water depth prohibited installation of block nets. 3.2.1 Snorkeling Surveys and Data Recording At Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach, monitoring reaches, pool habitats adjacent or near the electrofishing sites were surveyed by snorkeling. At Bardee’s Bar, the data was collected in an upstream section (encompass ing the section that was identified for backpack electrofishing in the Plan ; PG&E 2019) and the downstream section composed of the additional pool downstream as identified in the Plan. Selected habitats were surveyed thrice in succession by six experienced snorkelers, proceeding through the site in unison. A shore-based observer ensured that snorkelers proceeded through the unit with adequate spacing, directing personnel as necessary to ensure the best-possible sampling coverage. Units were snorkeled in a downstream direction to minimize behavioral disturbance of fish caused by swimming/movement. Snorkelers recorded fish counts on wrist-mounted dive slates and assigned a size category to each observation (in five-inch increments). When approaching the boundary of the survey unit, snorkelers carefully monitored fish holding close to the unit boundary and included fish that crossed the unit boundary in their counts. Any fish that was observed moving between lanes was noted immediately after the survey to avoid multiple counts of the same fish. Upon completion of each pass, data recorded on the snorkelers’ individual dive slates were transferred to data sheets by the shore-based observer. Snorkel survey datasheets included fields for recording environmental conditions, including water temperature (°C) and air temperature (°C). In addition, because snorkel survey results are more likely to be influenced by external conditions that could affe ct visibility than electrofishing, time of survey, estimated visibility (in feet), and estimated percentage of shade cover of the surveyed unit were also recorded. 3.2.2 Snorkeling Sites Upstream of the Flea Valley Creek electrofishing site, the long pool that includes the confluence of Mill Creek on river left was surveyed, for a total length of 290 m. Observations in the vicinity of the Mill Creek confluence were recorded separately to provide an indication of fish habitat use near this feature (Table 3-2.). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 3.0 Methods 9 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company At Bardee’s Bar, the entire 100-meter reach originally selected for electrofishing was surveyed by snorkeling, in addition to the 210-meter pool downstream of the steep riffle that marks the break between the upstream and downstream survey reaches (a total of 310 m). At the Poe Beach survey location, the large pool (adjacent to Poe Beach) downstream of the electrofishing site was surveyed by snorkeling (220 m). Table 3-2. Poe Bypass Reach snorkel survey sites and relevant site characteristics. Monitoring Site GPS Downstream GPS Upstream Site Length x Width (m) Habitat Types (%) Flea Valley Creek (Mill Creek confluence) N 39.80476 W 121.44036 N 39.80527 W 121.43996 65 x 28 Pool (100) Flea Valley Creek (downstream of Mill Creek) N 39.80333 W 121.44221 N 39.80476 W 121.44036 225 x 39 Pool (100) Bardee’s Bar (upstream) N 39.76936 W 121.45666 N 39.76957 W 121.45610 100 x 29 Run (50), Glide (50) Bardee’s Bar (downstream pool) N 39.76957 W 121.45855 N 39.76937 W 121.45682 210 x 40 Pool (100) Poe Beach N 39.72992 W 121.46652 N 39.73169 W 121.46703 220 x 32 Pool (100) 3.2.3 Snorkeling Surveys Data Analysis Counts of individual fish species and size classes were used to evaluate species composition, generate indices of abundance and densities in survey reaches or sections that were too deep for effective electrofishing. At each site, the highest count (of three successive passes) for a given species and size class was used to calculate indices of abundance, including number of individuals (all size classes combined) per 100 meters, and per mile. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 10 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 4.0 RESULTS 4.1 Electrofishing 4.1.1 Effort, Environmental Conditions, and Physical Habitat Real-time monitoring of water temperatures during electrofishing and direct observation monitoring confirmed that the upper temperature threshold of 23 °C stipulated in the Plan was not exceeded during monitoring activities (Table 4-1). The dissolved oxygen concentrations were 9.23 mg/L at Flea Valley Creek and 8.49 mg/L at Poe Beach just prior to the first electrofishing pass. Specific conductivities were 115.3 µS/cm at Flea Valley Creek and 123.4 µS/cm at Poe Beach. Turbidity, as measured prior to the first electrofishing pass, was 2.39 NTU at Flea Valley Creek and 2.17 NTU at Poe Beach. Cobble and boulders constituted the majority of the substrate at electrofishing sites. Instream objects and surface turbulence were the main fish cover types in the sampled reaches, undercut banks were not observed. Overhanging vegetation constituted smal l percentages of fish cover types at Flea Valley Creek , which is expected as the reduced flows cause the wetted margin of the stream to recede from the normally wetted perimeter and riparian vegetation (Table 4-2). Table 4-1. Summary of water temperatures (°C) and effort (seconds) during each electrofishing pass at three sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023. Location Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 Temperature (°C) Effort (s) Temperature (°C) Effort (s) Temperature (°C) Effort (s) Flea Valley Creek 17.9 18,323 18.5 14,244 19.4 15,157 Poe Beach 19.1 12,743 19.7 11,124 20.3 10,773 Table 4-2. Summary of physical habitat characteristics at three sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023 . All values shown are percentages. Location % Habitat Types % Substrate % Cover PL GL RF RN F S G C B BR T O U V Flea Valley Creek 0 35 30 35 0 5 10 45 40 0 50 45 0 5 Poe Beach 5 5 80 10 0 0 10 70 20 0 85 15 0 0 Note: Habitat designations are PL=pool, GL=glide, RF=riffle, RN=run. Substrate designations are F=fines, S=sand, G=gravel, C=cobble, B=boulder, BR=bedrock). Fish cover designations are T=turbulence, O=instream object (including substrate), U=undercut bank, V=overhanging vegetation. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 11 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 4.1.2 Species Composition and Age/Size Classes At the Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach sampling sites combined, 1,532 individual fish, of eight species, were collected by electrofishing (Table 4-3). Flea Valley Creek accounted for 561 individuals (37 % of the total), while Poe Beach accounted for 971 (63%) individuals . The most abundant species overall were Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis ; n=681 ; 44.5%), followed by hardhead (Mylopharodon conocephalus; n=272, 17.8%), Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis ; n=197; 12.9%), and riffle sculp in (Cottus gulosus , n=176 ; 11.5%). All other species constituted less than 10 percent of total fish catch, including rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss ; n=81; 5.3 %), speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus ; n=71; 4.6 %), prickly sculpin (Cottus asper ; n=44; 2.9 %), and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu; n=10 ; 0.7%). Smallmouth bass was the only non-native species captured during electrofishing surveys. Table 4-3. Summary of fish captured by electrofishing at two sampling sites in the Poe Bypass Reach in September 2023. Species Flea Valley Creek Poe Beach Total Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) 62 19 81 Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis) 322 359 681 Riffle sculpin (Cottus gulosus) 117 59 176 Hardhead (Mylopharodon conocephalus) 7 265 272 Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) 27 170 197 Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) 26 18 44 Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) 0 10 10 Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) 0 71 71 Total 561 971 1,532 Length-frequency analysis indicates that a range of age classes was present in the Poe Bypass Reach for most species sampled (Figures 4-1 through 4-8). For most species, it is difficult to define specific sizes associated with age classes , as growth varies between year classes and among individuals. However, as requested in the Plan, approximate age classes are represented in the electrofishing length frequency histograms, based on data from this study and Moyle (2002). Rainbow trout sizes ranged from 51 mm to 348 mm (n=62) at Flea Valley Creek, and from 68 mm to 1 61 mm (n=19) at Poe Beach. At Flea Valley Creek, 52 individuals (84%) were smaller than 150 mm, representing YOY (i.e., 0+) individuals. The larger individuals are expected to represent at least two additional year classes, based on the broad range in additional sizes encountered (less than 200 mm to nearly 350 mm) and expectations on annual growth rates reported by Moyle (2002; Figure 4-1). Sample numbers were insufficient to pro vide a detailed determination of age classes present based on length-frequency analys es, but approximations of length-cutoffs defining age classes are indicated in Figure 4-1. At Poe Beach, most individuals (n=18; 95%) were 150 mm or smaller, most likely representing YOY. Sacramento sucker captured during electrofishing ranged in size from 34 mm to 4 77 mm FL at Flea Valley Creek (n=3 22), with multiple age classes represented. YOY individuals are likely represented by fish smaller than 100 mm, while Age 1+ individuals likely range from Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 12 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company approximately 100 mm to approximately 150 mm. Historically, seven- to ten-year-old Sacramento sucker in the North Fork Feather River measured from 350 mm to 420 mm (Moyle et al. 1983). As Sacramento sucker up to 4 77 mm (FL) were documented at Flea Valley Creek, it is reasonable to assume that ages at this site ranged from 0 to 10+ years , but at older ages, distinct age classes are ambiguous to define based on length. Approximate, conservative thresholds of different age classes are indicated in Figure 4-2 (based on Moyle 2002). The observed length range of Sacramento sucker sampled at Poe Beach (n=359 ) was similar to that at Flea Valley Creek, ranging from 37 mm to 392 mm FL (Figure 4-2) indicating a representation of a similar range in ages. Sacramento pikeminnow were also captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=27) and Poe Beach (n=170 ). Length-frequency histograms suggest that YOY are represented by individuals smaller than 100 mm FL, and that the age 1+ fish sampled measured 100 mm to 160 mm FL (Figure 4-3). Two large individuals captured at Flea Valley Creek measured 365 mm and 415 mm FL . As this species can reach about 350 mm by the end of their fifth year (Brown 1990), the individual measuring 3 65 mm is likely 5+ years old, while the other individual may be 8 to 10 years old. At Poe Beach, captured pikeminnow ranged from 38 mm FL to 206 mm FL, likely representing 3 age classes. At both locations, YOY Sacramento sucker, hardhead, and Sacramento pikeminnow were abundant. Length frequency histograms depicted in Figures 4-1 thr ough 4-8 do not include YOY that were counted, but not measured, according to subsampling protocols specified in the Plan (PGE 2019). Additional c ounts for YOY Sacramento sucker (108 at Flea Valley, 273 at Poe Beach), hardhead (208 at Poe Be ach) and Sacramento pikeminnow (110 at Poe Beach) were included in catch summaries and abundance calculations. Figure 4-1. Length-frequency histogram of rainbow trout captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=62) and Poe Beach (n=19) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars , age categories are indicated in dashed lines (approximate). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 13 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-2. Length-frequency histogram of Sacramento sucker captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=214) and Poe Beach (n=86) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars , which do not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (108 individuals at Flea Valley and 273 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. Figure 4-3. Length-frequency histogram of Sacramento pikeminnow captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=27) and Poe Beach (n=60) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars , which do not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (n=110 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 14 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-4. Length-frequency histogram of hardhead captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=7) and Poe Beach (n=57) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Presumed YOY are indicated with white bars. Histogram does not include the additional (enumerated) YOY catch (n=208 at Poe Beach). Approximate age categories are indicated in dashed lines. Figure 4-5. Length-frequency histogram of riffle sculpin captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=117) and Poe Beach (n=59) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 15 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-6. Length-frequency histogram of prickly sculpin captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=26) and Poe Beach (n=18) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Figure 4-7. Length-frequency histogram of smallmouth bass captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=0) and Poe Beach (n=10) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 16 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-8. Length-frequency histogram of speckled dace captured at Flea Valley Creek (n=0) and Poe Beach (n=71) during the 2023 electrofishing surveys. 4.1.3 Length-Weight Relationships, Condition, Abundance, Density, and Biomass 4.1.3.1 Length-Weight Relationships The estimated length-weight relationship equation for rainbow trout captured in the Poe Bypass Reach took the form of 𝑊=0.000015 ∗𝐾2.9588 (Figure 4-9.), where W is the weight (g) and L is the FL (mm). For Sacramento sucker, the estimated length-weight relationship was 𝑊=0.00001 ∗𝐾3.046 (Figure 4-10). For Sacramento pikeminnow, the estimated length-weight relationship was 𝑊=0.000017 ∗𝐾2.869 (Figure 4-11). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 17 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-9. Length-weight relationship of rainbow trout (n=81) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Figure 4-10. Length-weight relationship of Sacramento sucker (n=300) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 18 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 4-11. Length-weight relationship of Sacramento pikeminnow (n=87) captured in the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. 4.1.3.2 Condition Fulton’s Condition Factor (K) and Condition Factor (K’) according to Bagenal and Tesch (1978) were calculated for all rainbow trout sampled (n=81). The mean K was 1.05 (range: 0.84–1.45), and the mean K’ was 1.27 (range: 1.00–1.74). Physical abnormalities were rarely observed on sampled fish. In fact , the only physical abnorma lity observed was a lesion on the caudal peduncle of an adult Sacramento sucker (405 mm FL ; 426 mm TL ) at Flea Valley Creek (Figure 4-12). Figure 4-12. Sacramento sucker with a lesion on the caudal peduncle, captured at Flea Valley Creek on September 19, 2023. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 19 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 4.1.3.3 Abundance, Density, and Biomass For each species, the number of individuals captured during each of the three electrofishing passes at each site were used to estimate total abundance of the respective species at each monitoring site. The abundance estimates were generated using the k-pass likelihood estimator (i.e., Burnham method) presented by Van Deventer and Platts (1983) and implemented using the “FSA” R package (Ogle 2021), equivalent to the Microfish software (Van Deventer 1989). Resulting abundance estimates, along with standard errors and estimated capture probabilities are summarize d in Table 4-4. Biomass estimates were calculated by multiplying the estimated total abundance of each species by the mean weight of captured individuals at each site. For counted YOY that were not directly weighed, the mean weight of weighed YOY was used , at each site, to estimate overall weight of sampled fish for inclusion in biomass calculations. The mean weight of measured Sacramento sucker (<100 mm FL) at Flea Valley Creek was 2.86 g (n=181 , applied to 108 additional individuals). At Poe Beach, the mean weight of measured YOY Sacramento sucker was 3.63 g (n=77, applied to 273 additional individuals). The mean weight of measured hardhead (Poe Beach) was 0.72 g (n=54, applied to 208 additional fish), for Sacramento pikeminnow the mean weight of measured YOY was 1.37 g (n=57, applied to 110 additional individuals). Biomass estimates are summarized in Table 4-5. The Poe Beach site had the highest fish density, attributable to a large number of YOY Sacramento sucker, pikeminnow, and hardhead which accounted for 81% of total estimated fish abundance. In contrast, the Flea Valley Creek site had the highest estimated biomass, which is largely attributable to the abundance of larger Sacramento sucker at this location (77% of biomass). Table 4-4. Capture summary, estimated abundance, standard error, and capture probability of electrofishing surveys at two locations on the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Species # Caught per Pass Total Catch Abundance Estimate Standard Error Capture Probability Flea Valley Creek Rainbow Trout 32, 18, 12 62 76 9.96 0.42 Sac ramento Sucker 156 , 102, 64 322 434 34.90 0.36 Riffle Sculpin 62, 31, 24 117 146 14.77 0.41 Hardhead 5, 1, 1 7 7 0.58 0.70 Sac ramento Pikeminnow 15, 7, 5 27 30 3.81 0.51 Prickly Sculpin 15, 6, 5 26 29 3.73 0.51 Poe Beach Rainbow Trout 9, 6, 4 19 23 5.56 0.42 Sac ramento Sucker 244 , 71, 44 359 379 7.02 0.62 Riffle Sculpin 31, 16, 12 59 73 10.13 0.42 Hardhead 155 , 63, 47 265 306 13.90 0.49 Sac ramento Pikeminnow 81, 62, 27 170 216 19.38 0.40 Prickly Sculpin 9, 7, 2 18 19 2.23 0.56 Smallmouth Bass 5, 3, 2 10 11 2.43 0.50 Speckled Dace 40, 18, 13 71 83 7.95 0.47 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 20 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Table 4-5. Estimated densities and biomass of fishes at two locations on the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Species Fish Density Fish Biomass Per 100 meter Per mile lb/mi lb/ac kg/ha Flea Valley Creek Rainbow Trout 69 1,112 73.09 7.99 8.97 Sac ramento Sucker 395 6,348 546.71 59.79 67.07 Riffle Sculpin 133 2,136 31.50 3.44 3.86 Hardhead 6 102 19.73 2.16 2.42 Sac ramento Pikeminnow 27 439 35.32 3.86 4.33 Prickly Sculpin 26 424 7.27 0.79 0.89 Total 656 10,561 713.63 78.03 87.54 Poe Beach Rainbow Trout 29 463 14.40 1.53 1.72 Sac ramento Sucker 474 7,623 129.38 13.77 15.45 Riffle Sculpin 91 1,468 30.31 3.23 3.62 Hardhead 382 6,154 11.40 1.21 1.36 Sac ramento Pikeminnow 270 4,344 21.90 2.33 2.62 Prickly Sculpin 24 382 12.33 1.31 1.47 Smallmouth Bass 14 221 2.72 0.29 0.33 Speckled Dace 104 1,669 10.03 1.07 1.20 Total 1,388 22,324 229.82 24.46 27.46 4.2 Snorkeling 4.2.1 Effort, Environmental Conditions and Physical Habitat During snorkel surveys, visibility was two to four feet at the Flea Valley Creek , about six feet at the upstream Bardee’s Bar location (despite shade coverage at the time of the survey ), four feet ft at the downstream Bardee’s Bar location, and eight feet at Poe Beach. Survey sites ranged in area from 2,900 m2 to 8,400 m2 (Table 4-6). All sites were snorkeled by five or six snorkelers, depending on location, to ensure adequate visual coverage of the unit cross-section as the snorkelers progressed through the site. Except for the Bardee’s Bar upstream site, which was categorized as consisting of 50% glide and 50% run habitat (see also Table 3-2), all other visually surveyed reaches were classified as pool habitats. 4.2.2 Species Composition and Size Classes Five species (rainbow trout, Sacramento suc ker, Sacramento pikeminnow, hardhead, and smallmouth bass) were consistently observed in all snorkeled units, but their relative abundance differed among sites. Small benthic species detected during electrofishing surveys (sculpin and dace) were not obser ved during snorkel surveys. These species have a low detection probability resulting from their small size, benthic habits, and cryptic coloration. During the snorkel surveys in the Poe Bypass Reach, the smallest individuals (in the <5-inch size class) were observed in all locations, sometimes in large aggregations that required estimation of fish abundance (Tables 4-7 through 4-9). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 21 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Densities of observed species varied within and among monitoring sites (Table 4-10). At Flea Valley Creek, abundances were moderate and conducive to direct enumeration of observed fish. At Bardee’s Bar and Poe Beach, large schools of YOY Sacramento Sucker, hardhead, and Sacramento pikeminnow resulted in high overall fish density estimates. Small rainbow trout were observed at all sites, but in low abundances, likely attributable to their preference for habitats with higher current velocities. Table 4-6. Survey locations and conditions during snorkel surveys on the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Location Date Time Area (m2) Water Temp . (°C) Air Temp . (°C) Visibility (ft) Shade (%) FV - MCC 9/19/2023 15:30–17:00 1,820 19.9 23.0 2–4 10 FV - DMC 9/19/2023 15:30 –17:00 7,775 20.2 23.0 2–4 10 BB - US 9/21 /2023 10:17–11:02 2,900 12.8 14.4 6 100 BB - DS 9/21 /2023 11:10 –11:40 8,400 14.4 18.3 4 5 PB 9/20/2023 14:05 –15:35 7,040 20.9 24.8 8 15 Note: At Flea Valley Creek, counts distinguished between the confluence area of Mill Creek (FV-MCC) and downstream of the confluence (FV-DMC). Large pools were surveyed downstream of the electrofishing sites at Bardee’s Bar (BB-DS) and Poe Beach (PB). Table 4-7. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Flea Valley Creek in September 2023. Size Class (inches) RBT SKR HH SPM SMB MCC DMC MCC DMC MCC DMC MCC DMC MCC DMC <5 0 10 10 7 2 100 50 5 0 1 5–10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 11–15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16–20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 >20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 0 10 10 7 2 100 51 6 0 2 Note: Fish species are RBT=rainbow trout, SKR =Sacramento sucker, HH=hardhead, SPM= Sacramento pikeminnow, SMB=smallmouth bass. Table 4-8. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Bardee’s Bar in September 2023. Size Class (inches) RBT SKR HH SPM SMB US DS US DS US DS US DS US DS <5 1 0 323 395 1,204 1,270 0 0 1 0 5–10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 11–15 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 16–20 0 0 5 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 >20 0 0 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 1 0 346 398 1,204 1,270 3 3 3 4 Note: Fish species are RBT=rainbow trout, SKR =Sacramento sucker, HH=hardhead, SPM= Sacramento pikeminnow, SMB=smallmouth bass. Counts represent the highest number observed of three consecutive passes in each size category, separated by area (upstream section encompasses the shallower of the two section that would have been electrofished [US], and the pool downstream [DS]). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 4.0 Results 22 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Table 4-9. Summary of fish species and size classes observed during snorkel surveys at Poe Beach in September 2023. Size Class (inches) RBT SKR HH SPM SMB <5 1 1,431 3,800 660 5 5–10 1 0 2 3 4 11–15 2 2 0 0 3 16–20 0 0 0 3 1 >20 0 0 0 0 0 Total 4 1,433 3,802 663 13 Note: Fish species are RBT=rainbow trout, SKR=Sacramento sucker, HH=hardhead, SPM= Sacramento pikeminnow, SMB=smallmouth bass. Counts represent the highest number observed of three consecutive passes in each category. Table 4-10. Densities of different fish species (all size classes combined) observed during visual observation surveys at different locations on the Poe Bypass Reach of the North Fork Feather River in September 2023. Fish per 100 Meters Fish per Mile Location RBT SKR HH SPM SMB RBT SKR HH SPM SMB FV - MCC 0 15 3 78 0 0 248 50 1,262 0 FV - DMC 4 3 44 3 1 72 50 715 43 14 FV - Total 3 6 35 20 1 55 94 566 316 11 BB - US 1 346 1,204 3 3 16 5,567 19,372 48 48 BB - DS 0 190 605 1 1 0 3,049 9,731 23 31 BB - Total 0.3 240 798 2 2 5 3,862 12,841 31 36 Poe Beach 2 651 1,728 301 6 29 10,480 27,806 4,849 95 Note: Fish species are RBT=rainbow trout, SKR=Sacramento sucker, HH=hardhead, SPM=Sacramento pikeminnow, SMB=smallmouth bass. The Flea Valley Creek data is divided between the section downstream to and including the Mill Creek confluence (MCC) and downstream thereof (DMC), and the Bardee’s Bar data is divided between the upstream section (US), and the pool downstream (DS). A large pool was surveyed downstream of the electrofishing site at Poe Beach (PB ). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 5.0 Discussion 23 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 5.0 DISCUSSION 5.1 Summary of 2023 Following a spring characterized by above-normal precipitation and runoff, YOY Sacramento sucker, hardhead, and Sacramento pikeminnow were more abundant than during the preceding two years. Consequently , the sub-sampling protocol described in the Plan (PG&E 2019) was implemented, whereby a minimum of 50 individuals of each species in this size category were individually measured and the remainder were enumerated without measuring. Average weight for measured fish in this age category, for each location and species, was then used to extrapolate biomass of these categories for subsequent calculations. The high reproductive output in wet water years was also observed in the license surveys performed in the Rock Creek Cresta upstream of the Poe project years (PG&E 2018). During snorkel surveys, particularly at Bardee’s Bar and Poe Beach, large schools of YOY were observed, introducing some ambiguity to recorded numbers and resulting density indices (Tables 4-7 through 4-9). Based on accounts by snorkelers, mixed-species schools of fish were rare, and if observed, snorkelers estimated the proportion of each species, the overall number of fish in the school, and recorded numbers accordingly. However, under conditions encountered during the 2023 snorkel surveys (moderate visibility and large aggregations of small fish), it is possible that estimated proportions of species that appear similar (i.e., hardhead, Sacramento sucker, and Sacramento pikeminnow; Figure 5-1), especially underwater and at small sizes, were inaccurate. Consequently , these reported counts should be considered coarse approximations. Despite this uncertainty, abundance estimates by experienced biologists are a clear indication of high abundance and unusually successful reproduction during the preceding spring. While small species and size classes may be difficult to reliably detect during visual observation surveys, such surveys can provide valuable information on the abundance of larger individuals. This is particularly applicable to the characteristic pikemin now-hardhead-sucker assemblage that occupies predominantly run and glide habitats as well as pools (Moyle 2002), which are often too deep to sample effectively using other methods. Given the ambiguity associated with counts numbering several hundred small individuals, snorkel survey results should be considered most applicable to large, less abundant, individuals. Overall, the fish community in the Poe Bypass Reach is characterized by similar species to those in other areas in the watershed (PGE 2020), a fish size structure indicative of multiple age classes (including YOY individuals), low abundance of invasive/non-native species, low observed incidence of physical detriments (injuries, tumors, parasites, etc.), and high Condition Factors of rainbow trout. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 5.0 Discussion 24 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Figure 5-1. Hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker and speckled dace (top to bottom) captured at Poe Beach on September 20, 2023. 5.2 Comparison to Preceding Surveys As the 2023 monitoring year is the third of four years that will be used to define Block 1 conditions, inferences regarding trends in fish population composition and abundance are deliberately avoided. However, this section presents a summary comparison of several fish population metrics between the three consecutive years of surveys. The fish species observed at each site were consistent among the three years (Figure 5-2). In the three consecutive years of monitoring (2021 –2023), the fish community composition was similar to upstream reaches (PG&E 2020), consisting of rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, Sacramento pikeminnow, hardhead, prickly and riffle sculpin, and smallmout h bass, with abundance and biomass of native species greatly exceeding (>95%) that of the single non-native species documented in the study reach (smallmouth bass). Notably, speckled dace were consistently documented at Poe Beach in 2021, 2022, and 2023, but not at other monitoring locations in the Poe Bypass Reach, the Rock Creek-Cresta Reaches (PG&E 2020), or during Poe relicensing studies (PG&E 2003). Rainbow trout condition factors were comparable among the three monitoring years (K = 0.96 , 1.02, and 1.05 in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively). Rainbow trout density was similar in 2022 and 2023 at both locations that were sampled by electrofishing, and higher than in 2021 (Table Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 5.0 Discussion 25 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 5-1), but estimated biomass of the species was lower at Flea Valley Creek in 2023 than in preceding years (Table 5-1), attributable to the smaller average size of fish sampled. At Poe Beach, both density and biomass of rainbow trout were higher in 2022 than in 2021 (Tables 5-1 and 5-2). Figure 5-2. Catch composition at Flea Valley Creek and Poe Beach in 2021 to 2023. In 2023, overall fish densities at Flea Valley Creek were lower than in 2022, but higher than in 2021. Corresponding biomass estimates at this location were generally lower than during 2021 and 2022, which is largely attributable to the lower number of adult Sacramento suckers captured. At Poe Beach, estimates of overall fish density and biomass were higher in 2023 than during the preceding two years. Increases in density were largely driven by higher catches of Sacramento sucker, Sacramento pikeminnow, and hardhead. The higher biomass es timate is mostly explained by the presence of larger Sacramento suckers (>200 mm FL); in 2022, no Sacramento suckers larger than 150 mm FL were captured at Poe Beach; PG&E 2023). In habitats that were surveyed by snorkeling, the same species were observed in all three years. While species were generally observed in comparable densities in 2021 and 2022, estimated densities of Sacramento sucker, hardhead and Sacramento pikeminnow w ere much higher in 2023 due to the presence of large numbers of YOY of each of these species, particularly at Bardee’s Bar and Poe Beach (Table 5-3). Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 5.0 Discussion 26 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Table 5-1. Summary of fish captured during electrofishing surveys in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021 –2023. Species Numbers of Individuals Captured Density (per 100 m) Flea Valley Poe Beach Flea Valley Poe Beach 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 Rainbow trout 32 57 62 4 21 19 53 62 69 5 33 29 Sac. sucker 122 358 322 8 38 359 121 491 395 10 50 474 Riffle sculpin 106 88 117 62 59 59 130 97 133 93 99 91 Hardhead 3 71 7 8 4 265 3 83 6 10 10 382 Pikeminnow 10 56 27 20 98 170 NA 102 27 27 183 270 Prickly sculpin 2 11 26 3 23 18 NA 12 26 4 29 24 Smallmouth 0 0 0 10 16 10 0 0 0 12 56 14 Speckled dace 0 0 0 12 30 71 0 0 0 NA 52 104 Total 275 641 561 127 289 971 307 847 656 161 512 1,388 Table 5-2. Summary of estimated fish biomass, by species, in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021–2023. Species Biomass (lb/ac) Biomass (kg/ha) Flea Valley Poe Beach Flea Valley Poe Beach 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 Rainbow trout 20.36 16.35 7.99 0.42 2.28 1.53 22.84 18.34 8.97 0.47 2.56 1.72 Sac. sucker 128.50 194.39 59.79 5.71 1.79 13.77 144.16 218.07 67.07 6.41 2.01 15.45 Riffle sculpin 3.09 2.18 3.44 3.41 3.24 3.23 3.46 2.44 3.86 3.83 3.63 3.62 Hardhead 2.50 3.91 2.16 0.07 0.06 1.21 2.81 4.39 2.42 0.08 0.07 1.36 Pikeminnow NA 26.35 3.86 0.45 8.73 2.33 NA 29.56 4.33 0.51 9.80 2.62 Prickly sculp. NA 0.34 0.79 0.13 0.48 1.31 NA 0.38 0.89 0.14 0.54 1.47 Smallmouth 0 0 0 0.31 3.78 0.29 0 0 0 0.35 4.25 0.33 Speckled dace 0 0 0 NA 0.70 1.07 0 0 0 NA 0.78 1.20 Total 154.45 243.59 78.03 10.50 21.06 24.46 173.27 273.17 87.54 11.79 23.64 27.46 Table 5-3. Summary of estimated fish densities in monitoring locations sampled by snorkeling , by species, in the Poe Bypass Reach from 2021 –2023. Species Density by Species (fish per 100 m) Flea Valley Bardee’s Bar Poe Beach 2021 2022 a 2021 2021 2021 2023 2021 2022 2021 Rainbow trout 1 – 3 8 3 0 7 6 2 Sac. sucker 54 – 6 45 35 240 12 10 651 Hardhead 8 – 35 9 7 798 7 1 1,728 Pikeminnow 17 – 20 42 18 2 13 232 301 Smallmouth 7 – 1 11 7 2 9 13 6 a Due to elevated turbidity attributable to recent rainfall, snorkel counts are not reported for the Flea Valley Creek monitoring location for 2022. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 6.0 Recommendations 27 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS The next monitoring effort to complete Block 1 of monitoring will continue in 2024. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 7.0 References 28 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company 7.0 REFERENCES Bagenal , T. B., and F. W. Tesch. 1978. Age and Growth. Chapter 5 in T. B. Bagenal, editor. Methods for Assessment of Fish Production in Fresh Waters, 3 rd edition. International Biological Program Handbook 3. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. 365p. Brown, L. R. 1990. Age, Growth, Feeding, and Behavior of Sacramento Squawfish (Ptychocheilus grandis ) in Bear Creek, Colusa County California. Southwestern Naturalist 35: 249-260. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). 2018. Order Issuing New License. Project Nos. 2107-016. Prepared by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Energy Projects, Division of Hydropower Licensing. Washington, DC. December 17, 2018. Fulton, T. W. 1911. The Sovereignty of the Seas: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial Waters: with Special Reference to the Rights of Fishing and the Naval Salute. W. Blackwood, Edinburgh, London. 799 pp. Moyle, P. B., B. Vondracek, and G. Grossman. 1983. Responses of Fish Populations in the North Fork Feather River, California, to Treatments with Fish Toxicants. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 3: 48-60. Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Second edition. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, USA. Ogle, D. 2021. Package “FSA.” Simple Fisheries Stock Assessment Methods. Version 0.9.1. URL: https://github.com/droglenc/FSA Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). 2003. State of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). 2017. In the Matter of Water Quality Certification for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company Poe Hydroelectric Project, Federal Energy Regulat ory Commission Project No. 2107. December 28, 2017 . PG&E. 2018. Rock Creek‒Cresta Project, FERC Project No. 1962, 2017 Fishery Monitoring Report, FERC License Condition No. 7. Prepared by Garcia and Associates and Normandeau Associates for PG&E, San Ramon, CA. PG&E. 2019. Poe Bypass Reach Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan. San Ramon, CA. 33p. PG&E. 2020. 2019 Fish monitoring and summary of 15-year test flow period results, FERC License Condition No. 7. Prepared by PG&E, GANDA, Normandeau, and TRPA for PG&E. August 2020. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report 7.0 References 29 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company PG&E. 2022. Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2021 Annual Report. February 2022. San Ramon, CA. Prepared by FISHBIO, Chico, CA and Spring Rivers Ecological Sciences LLC, Cassel, CA. PG&E. 2023. Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2022 Annual Report. May 2023. San Ramon, CA. Prepared by FISHBIO, Chico, CA and Spring Rivers Ecological Sciences LLC, Cassel, CA. PG&E. 2023. Poe Bypass Reach Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring 2022 Annual Report. January 2023. San Ramon, CA. Prepared by Spring Rivers Ecological Sciences LLC, Cassel, CA and FISHBIO, Chico, CA. State of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). 2017. In the Matter of Water Quality Certification for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company Poe Hydroelectric Project, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Project No. 2107. December 28, 2017. United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service (Forest Service). 2018. Forest Service revised final license terms and conditions necessary for the protection and utilization of the Plumas National Forest in condition with the application for li cense Poe Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2107, Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region. July 6, 2018. Van Deventer, J. S., and W. S. Platts. 1983. Sampling and estimating fish populations from streams. Transactions of the 48th North American Wildlife and Natural Resource Conference. pp. 349-354. Van Deventer, J. S. 1989. Microcomputer Software System for Generating Population Statistics from Electrofishing Data –User’s Guide for MicroFish 3.0. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report INT-254. 29 p. Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report APPENDIX A FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION ORDERS Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-1 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-2 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-3 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-4 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-5 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-6 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-7 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-8 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-9 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-10 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-11 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-12 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix A A-13 March 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report APPENDIX B CDFW AND USFWS CONSULTATION EMAILS Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix B B-1 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2107) Poe Bypass Reach Fish Monitoring 2023 Annual Report Appendix B B-2 April 2024 Hydroelectric Project License Compliance ©2024 , Pacific Gas and Electric Company Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 ENCLOSURE 2 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024 Document Content(s) PGE20240527_2107_Poe_Fish_Report.pdf .....................................1Document Accession #: 20240528-5059 Filed Date: 05/28/2024