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Friday, March 2, 2012 – Daily News 7A Obituaries METHA "JANE" WATSON Jane was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, March 18, 1927. She peacefully went to sleep February 28, 2012, at the age of 84. Jane and her husband Robert, both retired, moved from Oxnard, CA. 25 years ago to be closer to family. She is survived by her daughter, Dinah Gibbs, and seven grand- children; Debbie Carlson and her husband Mike, Denise McCallister and husband Brett, David Pagel of Happy Val- ley, and Seth, Josh, Kayla, and Dena Watson. Her son, Jeff, proceeded her in death, as well as her husband Rob- ert. knit and always had a pet bird. She enjoyed dining at the local restaurants and was known to always save room for dessert. As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, she enjoyed teaching the bible truths with others, and had a sure hope of a resur- rection and life on a paradise earth. Jane was fortunate enough to have Debbie as her care- giver for the past four years. Robert would be proud and thankful for her, as her mother is. No services are planned at this time. Death Notices Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the news- paper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. Edward Lawrence Williams Edward Lawrence Williams, a 45-year resident of Corning, died Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at the home of his son Karl Williams of Red Bluff. He was 89. Hall Bros. Corning Mortuary is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, March 2, 2012, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Sierra Club potluck tonight The 2012 Winter Social/Potluck/Program Shasta Group, Sierra Club is 6 tonight in the Shasta Builder's Exchange, 2985 Innsbruck Drive, in Redding. Bring your favorite appetizer, salad, main dish or dessert to share. Coffee, tea and water provided; bring other bever- ages as you wish. To help reduce waste, bring your own plates and utensils. Dottie Smith, local history buff and featured columnist in the Record Searchlight, will provide a PowerPoint presen- tation of natural and human history in Northern California. To learn more, visit http://shastacountyhistory.com/. For more information, call 243-4124 or 244-6961. DELTA Continued from page 1A nels' impact and put dwin- dling fish species on a path to recovery. That includes about 80,000 acres of floodplains and tidal marshes for fish habitat and about 40,000 acres of native grasslands and other habitat for wildlife species. The plan also looks at water flows, predators and other stress factors such as climate change. ''The plan demon- strates that the status quo in the delta is going to be pretty brutal for delta fish- By TRACIE CONE Associated Press It's finally looking like ski season in California's Sierra Nevada as a late winter storm exceeded forecasts by dumping at least 6 feet of fluff at the highest elevations. ''It's still coming down really good,'' Rochelle Jenkins, a spokesman for Caltrans, said Thurs- day as crews worked around the clock to keep open Interstate 80, the main highway between Northern California and Nevada. ''The valley is clear, but up here it's anything but.'' The storm is sticking around longer and delivering more snow than predicted because it got ''hung up on the mountains,'' said Johnnie Powell of the National Weather Service in Sacramento, Calif. ''It's a classic orographic lift,'' Powell said. ''All a storm needs is lift and water. It hits the mountain and goes straight up. This one just stayed there on the mountains.'' Powell said the weather service planned to lift the winter storm warn- ing later Thursday, with the expecta- tion that the snowfall would likely end around sunset. Despite the heavy snowfall, Cali- fornia is far behind in amassing the amount needed to sustain water use in the arid state for the rest of the year. The state uses reservoirs and a system of aqueducts to deliver snowmelt to eries unless we do some- thing,'' Nemeth said. ''Temperature and increased salinity due to sea level rise will have a negative impact on fish, so additional habitat would help mitigate that.'' The entire project would cost an estimated $25 billion, with construc- tion of the conveyance project estimated at $13 billion. Currently, federal man- agement plans — the so- called biological opinions — limit the amount of water pumped from the delta in order to protect fish species. While more water She worked as a secretary most of her life, but loved to VAN Continued from page 1A sent to the crash to con- tinue transport of the Continued from page 1A issues not getting done." The city would need $68,600 for that position along with $61,300 each for two vacant Public Works jobs, one to be filled before and one after the vacant police sergeant posi- tion left by Sgt. Don Atkins, who has replaced Chief Tony Cardenas. The sergeant position would cost about $119,000, which would bring CREEK Continued from page 1A room hotel and multiple acres of parks and retail space within a 154-acre site three miles south of downtown Napa. With that increase in land use comes an increased use of water. After release of the final Environmental Impact Report in Febru- ary, some opponents wrote letters to the pro- ject leaders to ask them to reconsider the use of Mill Creek surface water because the report didn't look at all the environ- mental impacts of taking water from the creek, Bundy said. When Napa County planning officials hosted a public hearing Feb. 21, Bundy was there. His let- ter was read, but the offi- cials didn't allow for open comment, he said. Participants could only submit questions in writ- ing during the meeting. However, the planning officials are starting to recognize that Mill Creek is not a good option, Bundy said. Revisions in the Envi- ronmental Impact Report did speak to some of their concerns, he said. "They have responded, would be taken out of the delta by the new con- veyance system, the BDCP project would actu- ally help species, Nemeth said. Building the tunnels would move the point of diversion, she said, so that the impact of artificial flow changes caused by the current water pumps on salmon, sturgeon and other species would be reduced and fewer fish would be caught and killed in the delta project pumps. Documents show the project initially could harm some species but would benefit them in the 25 million Californians who depend on it for all or part of their water. Measurements on Thursday showed the water content of the snowpack at 34 percent of normal, the fourth-lowest reading since the 1940s, said Dave Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys for the Department of Water Resources. Last year at this time, the snowpack was 124 percent of normal and reached 165 percent by April 1. ''It's a nice change,'' Rizzardo said of the storm, ''but the reality is we need a lot more.'' The storm is bringing fresh powder to the ski resorts, but pow- dery snow lacks the moisture con- tent that Rizzardo wanted to see. Snow in the state currently holds 8 inches of water, compared to 23 inches that would be normal by this date. ''The ski resorts are happy — it will be a nice powder day tomorrow. But we like the wet, cement stuff that really hurts you when you fall down,'' Rizzardo said. ''Nothing personal against skiers.'' The lack of water content and the unlikely prospects that enough storms will come to make up the deficit by April's melt has prompted officials to warn Central California farmers that they will receive only half of the water they requested this growing season. The snowfall, part of a blast from the Gulf of Alaska, fell heaviest in the inmates. A Tehama County corrections officer, also slightly hurt, was dri- ving the van. No name was released. CORNING Miranda said his jail cooperates with Tehama County in alternating prisoner transports and providing security details to ride along. the amount of revenue needed to eliminate shortfall, end furloughs and fill the positions to $863,600. A fourth Public Works position, half-time Public Works and half- time building inspector, would not be filled until new development begins again. City Auditor and CPA Don Reynolds presented his findings in the 2010-2011 fiscal year audit. "Given the state of the economy and that Sacramento is holding back more funds while trying to get a but we don't think they're accurate," he said. Mill Creek is one of the few streams left that hold the native spring run chinook salmon, Bundy said. The report didn't address the impacts of less water on the fish. Neither did the report address the shareholders of the Los Molinos Mutu- al Water Company, who could lose out in the arrangement, Bundy said. "This ill-conceived scheme to take water from its origin where it is needed for both agricul- tural production and endangered species is wrong," Bundy wrote to the Napa officials. "It brings to mind the rape of the Owens Valley by the City of Los Angeles near- ly a century ago." Resource coordinator for the Mill Creek Con- servancy, Kerry Burke, who lives in the town of Mill Creek on a family ranch, used to be a Tehama County planning commissioner. She sub- mitted a detailed response to the Environ- mental Impact Report. "The folly of this pro- posal is too much to fath- om given the fact that OCID purchased a Mill Creek water right for con- servation purposes now only to sell a portion of the water right for this long run, so officials are making adjustments to mitigate that, Nemeth said. Officials say they hope to finalize the plan by the end of June, when it will be open to public com- ments. It still needs state and local approval before construction can begin. The BDCP would even- tually be included in the comprehensive manage- ment plan for the delta area. But in order to be included, the BDCP must be approved by state wildlife and water agen- cies and can't violate other laws meant to protect wildlife. Snow exceeds forecast, but too little too late Northern Sierra, with smaller read- ings as far south as Yosemite Nation- al Park, where chains were required. ''We're running out of time,'' Riz- zardo said. ''We have our three wettest months behind us.'' Avalanche danger in the Lake Tahoe area was down slightly on Thursday, but warnings still exist due to high winds, new snow and a weak snowpack. In California, weather forecasters say a sunny weekend should make for ideal skiing conditions. ''Skiers can go have all of the fun they want on the weekend. It worked out perfectly,'' said weather forecast- er Powell. ''It should be plowed out and there should be plenty of fresh powder.'' As storms moved in from the west, the Colorado Department of Trans- portation closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Glenwood Springs because of accidents as a snowstorm moves into Colorado. Up to six inches of snow had fallen by Thursday afternoon in northwestern Colorado, and up to 18 inches is expected to accumulate in some areas by Friday. Forecasters were predicting two to four inches of snow throughout Thursday east of the Continental Divide. Farther east, an overnight winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow in parts of upstate New York, a rare wallop in a season that's been unusually snowless. Requests for further information from the Tehama County Sher- iff 's Office were not answered as of 7 p.m. Thursday. hold of any money they can, the city has done well," Reynolds said. The Corning City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at City Hall, 794 Third St. Meeting minutes, agendas and the mid-year review in its entirety are available on the Website: www.corning.org. ——— Julie Zeeb can be reached at 527-2153, extension 115 or jzeeb@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @DN_Zeeb. intense urban develop- ment in Napa County that is over 150 miles from the water source in Mill Creek," Burke wrote. She added there has been no outreach to stakeholders in Tehama County and planners have omitted addressing "sig- nificant Endangered Species Act and CEQA issues." A week after the Envi- ronmental Impact Report was released, Napa Coun- ty planning officials released a supplemental report that offered two alternatives to the project that take out the use of Mill Creek and greatly minimize the proposal. The staff recommen- dation issued Feb. 10 sug- gests the Napa County board approve a much smaller project that would incorporate just 63 acres at the proposed site, creating 700 dwelling units. In the alternative plan, water would come through negotiation with the city of Napa or area groundwater. "Staff is recommend- ing the same change to (Napa County policy) and understands that obtain- ing surface water from Mill Creek would not be feasible with a smaller project," the document states. A second public hear- ing on the Napa Pipe Pro- ject is scheduled for 6 p.m., March 19, at the Little Theatre, Building 1200, Napa Valley Col- lege, 2777 Napa-Vallejo Highway in Napa. The hearing is open to the public and is intended to allow public comment in response to the final Environmental Impact Report for the project. Water concerns are not new, but Bundy worries that other developers could see Napa County buying water rights on Mill Creek as an opportu- nity and others could try to do the same, he said. Although many want to see the water stay in the creek and are working hard to keep it there, oth- ers are looking to divert it to more populated areas, he said. "They're going to do it one way or another," Bundy said. For more information on the Napa Pipe project, go to www.countyofna- pa.org/napapipe. The Mill Creek Con- servancy is at www.mill- creekconservancy.com. ——— Andrea Wagner can be reached at 527-2153, extension 114 or awagner@redbluffdailyne ws.com. Ore., Calif. rivers may get big chinook returns EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Federal biologists are fore- casting a big increase in salmon returns to two North- ern California rivers that have been stingy in turning out catches for Oregon and California fishermen in recent years. While a lot of work has been done to provide more water for fish in the Klamath and Sacramento rivers, experts say an upturn in the cyclical supply of food in the Pacific Ocean is largely responsible. The Eugene Register-Guard reported Thursday (http://bit.ly/yJsfm6 ) that the Pacific Fishery Manage- ment Council forecasts 1.65 million adult Chinook salmon for the Klamath, and 819,000 for the Sacra- mento. The two rivers drive the process for setting ocean fishing seasons off much of California and Ore- gon, and recent downturns in returns have proved dis- astrous for the commercial fleet. Newport salmon fisherman Darus Peake, a member of the Oregon Salmon Commission, said the fleet may have a hard time taking advantage because so many fishermen have gone broke or turned to other species. ''The fleet is poor,'' he said. Charleston fisherman Paavo Carroll said he only caught about 200 salmon last year, because the high costs of fuel, bait, and gear made it difficult to go out with so few fish available. ''If you're not staying ahead of wear and tear on your equipment and expenses, you can't really do it,'' Carroll said. ''But I think there'll be a rebound in the fleet.'' The Klamath expectations are more than four times higher than last year, and 15 times higher than 2006. But forecasts don't always prove correct. On the Sacramento River, last year's predictions were for 729,900 returning chinook, but the actual returns were only 200,000. Council salmon staff Chuck Tracy said the comput- er model has been revised in hopes of getting better results. In 2005, before a spate of closures or sharp reduc- tions in commercial salmon fishing, Oregon fishermen landed $8.46 million worth of salmon. Landings were down to $2 million last year. 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