Castaic Quagga-Mire

[Big Hands]

Press release regarding the quagga mussel situation at Castaic Lake

It is my understanding that as of 8/31/21 Castaic Lake will accept tags from Pyramid and vice versa with no quarantine period. 

 

What this means for boats that have been on Castaic Lake for other bodies of water moving forward and vice-versa, I have no idea.

[TnRiver46]

It’s so weird to read that a lake has an owner 

[Glenn]

It continues to spread. Last week, Montana announced they discovered 50 infested boats at checkpoints this year.

[camman]

Honestly I’m surprised they kept it out of there (at least detectable) for so long with it in Pyramid 

[WRB]

Castaic is down over 100’ so any Quaggas should show up around the dam area if any numbers are in the lake. 

Red Ear Sunfish (Shell Crackers) eat Quaggas like candy, Castaic should add them.

Castaic water source is the Feather River project canal that comes from NorCal and goes from Qual lake to Pyramid to Elderberry then into Castiac. The closest lake with Quaggas is Piru with a independent  water supply.

Tom

[Big Hands]

18 minutes ago, WRB said:

Castaic is down over 100’ so any Quaggas should show up around the dam area if any numbers are in the lake. 

Red Ear Sunfish (Shell Crackers) eat Quaggas like candy, Castaic should add them.

Castaic water source is the Feather River project canal that comes from NorCal and goes from Qual lake to Pyramid to Elderberry then into Castiac. The closest lake with Quaggas is Piru with a independent  water supply.

Tom

Isn't that Piru Creek that flows from the dam at Pyramid Lake to Lake Piru?

[WRB]

You are right Pyramid Dam does cover Upper Piru creek. Castiac water source from Pyrimd dam goes through tunnels pumped to Elderberry forebay. They keep a minimal water flow onto Piru creek to sustain the wild trout fishery below Pyrimd dam.

I don’t believe Quaggas can migrate several miles up stream?

Tom

 

[Big Hands]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

You are right Pyramid Dam does cover Upper Piru creek. Castiac water source from Pyrimd dam goes through tunnels pumped to Elderberry forebay. They keep a minimal water flow onto Piru creek to sustain the wild trout fishery below Pyrimd dam.

I don’t believe Quaggas can migrate several miles up stream?

Tom

 

If they (the mighty-mighty quagga mussels) can migrate upstream through that stretch, they will eventually achieve the world domination they seem to be seeking ;~)

 

By law, they must let as much water flows in through Piru Creek on the west side of Pyramid Lake out and into Piru Creek below the dam as though the lake was never there. They have the same requirements for the water that flows into Castaic Lake through Elizabeth Canyon, and must flow out over the spillway of the lagoon into Castaic Creek.

 

I was just wondering if they (the quagga mussels) got into Lake Piru from Lake Pyramid rather than the other way around.

[WRB]

By law the water flow is dedicated for Steelhead runs up 30 miles of dry sand. 

Lake Casitas built a fish ladder for steel head runs @ 6 million tax payer dollars.... without validated a Steelhead in Coyote creek where the dam is located in over 50 years.

Casitas has Red Ears and no Quaggas and no water!

Hopefully we can still catch a few bass in a State that could careless less about the invasive bass species.

Tom

[schplurg]

13 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s so weird to read that a lake has an owner 

 

Many lakes in Cali are "owned". I had an interesting talk last weekend about the lake my Dad lives on, the water rights etc. Learned a lot. I, like you, didn't realize how much of it isn't controlled by the state.

 

There's been fighting and corruption surrounding California water for a very very long time. It's a mess.

 

Can't wait to see what happens if it doesn't rain again this year. Or next. For me, the writing is on the wall: "The desert wants Cali back, leave soon"

[TnRiver46]

7 minutes ago, schplurg said:

 

Many lakes in Cali are "owned". I had an interesting talk last weekend about the lake my Dad lives on, the water rights etc. Learned a lot. I, like you, didn't realize how much of it isn't controlled by the state.

 

There's been fighting and corruption surrounding California water for a very very long time. It's a mess.

 

Can't wait to see what happens if it doesn't rain again this year. Or next. For me, the writing is on the wall: "The desert wants Cali back, leave soon"

Sounds like a wild ride!!! 

[Big Hands]

3 hours ago, schplurg said:

There's been fighting and corruption surrounding California water for a very very long time. It's a mess.

 

Can't wait to see what happens if it doesn't rain again this year. Or next. For me, the writing is on the wall: "The desert wants Cali back, leave soon"

Agriculture uses 80% to 85% (depending on who you believe (TnRiver46, please don't savage me for vacillating on the percentages, LOL) of the water in California. If you drive north on I-5 through the central valley, you'll see mile after mile after mile of almond trees.

 

Feast on this:

 

• California produces 1.59 BILLION pounds of almonds per year.
• It takes about 1,900 gallons of water to grow one pound of almonds.
• It takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow 1 almond.
• Multiply those two numbers on the first two bullet points, and it comes out to. . . 3,021,000,000,000.
• That adds up to. . . . 76,481 gallons of water for each of the 39.5 million California residents every year.
• That is roughly 210 gallons for every California resident (adults and children alike), every day of the year. 
• Do we actually have a water shortage? 

These are facts, not opinions. I'm not here to be political about who or why. People can take these facts and do some of their own research on top of it and draw their own independent conclusions. 

[desmobob]

10 hours ago, schplurg said:

Can't wait to see what happens if it doesn't rain again this year. Or next. For me, the writing is on the wall: "The desert wants Cali back, leave soon"

 

Ever read "Collapse" by Pulitzer Prize winner Jared Diamond?  Long-term change in rainfall amounts have negatively affected peoples in the past...

[TnRiver46]

On 9/1/2021 at 12:02 AM, Big Hands said:

Agriculture uses 80% to 85% (depending on who you believe (TnRiver46, please don't savage me for vacillating on the percentages, LOL) of the water in California. If you drive north on I-5 through the central valley, you'll see mile after mile after mile of almond trees.

 

Feast on this:

 

• California produces 1.59 BILLION pounds of almonds per year.
• It takes about 1,900 gallons of water to grow one pound of almonds.
• It takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow 1 almond.
• Multiply those two numbers on the first two bullet points, and it comes out to. . . 3,021,000,000,000.
• That adds up to. . . . 76,481 gallons of water for each of the 39.5 million California residents every year.
• That is roughly 210 gallons for every California resident (adults and children alike), every day of the year. 
• Do we actually have a water shortage? 

These are facts, not opinions. I'm not here to be political about who or why. People can take these facts and do some of their own research on top of it and draw their own independent conclusions. 

Ha! Those numbers check out……..

[Smells like fish]

1,900 gallons of water to grow a pound of almonds… that is nuts ?

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, Smells like fish said:

1,900 gallons of water to grow a pound of almonds… that is nuts ?

I drink about 2 gallons of water a day, usually only eat 2-3 almonds haha

[QED]

On 8/31/2021 at 4:58 AM, TnRiver46 said:

It’s so weird to read that a lake has an owner 

The CA DWR is a state agency, so the lake is effectively owned by the state.

[BASS302]

On 8/31/2021 at 10:02 PM, Big Hands said:

• California produces 1.59 BILLION pounds of almonds per year.
• It takes about 1,900 gallons of water to grow one pound of almonds.
• It takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow 1 almond.
• Multiply those two numbers on the first two bullet points, and it comes out to. . . 3,021,000,000,000.
• That adds up to. . . . 76,481 gallons of water for each of the 39.5 million California residents every year.
• That is roughly 210 gallons for every California resident (adults and children alike), every day of the year. 
• Do we actually have a water shortage? 

 

Is it true that most of the almonds are exported out of the US?

[J._Bricker]

55 minutes ago, BASS302 said:

 

Is it true that most of the almonds are exported out of the US?

What percentage of almonds are exported?
Almonds accounted for nearly 70 percent U.S. tree nut export volume in recent years, averaging over 970 million pounds (shelled basis) or almost three-quarters of world almond exports. Following almonds are walnuts and pistachios with over 10 percent and about 7 percent, respectively, of total tree nut exports.

 

81% of the world’s almonds come from California….

[QED]

4 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

1,900 gallons of water to grow a pound of almonds… that is nuts ?

 

If that refers to shelled, whole almonds, that works out to a little more than 5 gallons PER ALMOND.

[TnRiver46]

On 9/2/2021 at 1:41 PM, QED said:

The CA DWR is a state agency, so the lake is effectively owned by the state.

I guess we are somewhat lucky where I live, almost all water is public (although Twra is a state agency, they don’t own any water except maybe a few small lakes in west TN)

 

now the public water levels are controlled by TVA (federal), and of course they are also a utility. Let’s just say they make a lot of money. They even made some National headlines not too long ago about how exorbitant their salaries are 

[Tennessee Boy]

A lot of California nuts have be moving to Tennessee lately.  ?

[TnRiver46]

24 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

A lot of California nuts have be moving to Tennessee lately.  ?

I’d say at least a couple dozen in my neighborhood. Hopefully they don’t plant any almond trees……..

[PressuredFishing]

On 8/31/2021 at 3:05 PM, WRB said:

Castaic is down over 100’ so any Quaggas should show up around the dam area if any numbers are in the lake. 

Red Ear Sunfish (Shell Crackers) eat Quaggas like candy, Castaic should add them.

Castaic water source is the Feather River project canal that comes from NorCal and goes from Qual lake to Pyramid to Elderberry then into Castiac. The closest lake with Quaggas is Piru with a independent  water supply.

Tom

Yeah One of my favorite lakes has shellcracker in it and a ton of quaggas, thats why its clear, and in the morning while its cool and overcast skies you can see the shellcrackers in the clear water picking up quaggas on the bottom. They got in this lake through the colorado river, because they pumped colorado river water into this lake, and if you want to hear something really interesting, DFG never stocked it after calling them but fish eggs must have come through the colorado river with the quaggas, or someone transplanted bass in with bluegill, , pumpkinseed, catfish, and shellcracker. he seemed to think the first idea is more likely.

[camman]

On 9/15/2021 at 12:11 PM, PressuredFishing said:

but fish eggs must have come through the colorado river with the quaggas, or someone transplanted bass in with bluegill, , pumpkinseed, catfish, and shellcracker. he seemed to think the first idea is more likely.

 

You will be surprised how many areas have been "Stocked" by someone.  Back where I grew up a water catchment pond was created by the County.  Probably a year after it filled, my buddy and I were driving by and there as a guy tossing in fish over the fence into it.  Maybe a few years later, my buddy and I hopped the fence to fish it, and caught a number of bass and bluegill out of there.