User:Leidelar78/sandbox

Questions and Responses
Leidelar78 (talk) 01:57, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
 * 1) Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Yes, everything in the article is relevant to the article topic.
 * 2) Is there anything that distracted you? The article was very large; therefore, it was distracting trying to comprehend all of the topics.
 * 3) Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? The article is mostly neutral; however, there are some statements that appear biased. For example, under Uses of Water, the editor insists that the majority of water is used for environmental purposes, but does not get properly recycled. This is an opinion based on the recycled use of the water.
 * 4) Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? It seemed that there was an overall negative viewpoint towards agricultural uses.
 * 5) Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article? The links I clicked on worked and efficiently support the article.
 * 6) Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? No, some facts are flagged as unreliable because of the age of the information. The sources are mixed including blogs, magazines, and governmental agencies, but overall, there isn't a strong bias.
 * 7) Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added? There is a lot of information out of date. The tunnels project needs to be updated, as well as the sources from which water usage comes from.
 * 8) Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? There are general conversations from 2014/2015 about how to upgrade and organize the page.
 * 9) How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects? It is part of four different wikiprojects. Two with the California government, two with a university in California.
 * 10) How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class? Overall, this page is broad and simple. In class, we discuss each topic covered in the article more in-depth and efficiently.

Initial Thoughts
I would like to add to the Wikipedia/internet world, information about an important decision involving drought and the American River in Sacramento, California. I'll be adding information about what the Hodge Decision entails, why it came about, and what impacts it has on the community and the State of California overall.

Sources of Information
Leidelar78 (talk) 16:47, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

Article
The Hodge Decision is a flow requirement several water agencies must follow in order to extract surface water from the American River. The flow requirements vary throughout the year, with the summer months of July through October 14, presenting the most restricted rate at a minimum of 1,750 cubic feet per second. These specified flow rates must be maintained in order for water agencies to divert water from the American River. If the American River's flow rate is slower than the specified minimum rate, some water agencies must obtain water from other sources than surface water diversion from the American River

Background
The American River is the second largest tributary of the Sacramento River and is divided into three sections, Lower Fork; Middle Fork; Upper Fork. Together, these sections span 120 miles from the crest of the Sierra Nevada, through the foothills, and converges with the Sacramento River in Sacramento, California. The Lower Fork of the American River begins at the outlet of Folsom Lake and flows westward until its confluence with the Sacramento River. The drainage basin of the American River is approximately 1,900 square miles. There are several activities popular to the American River including: whitewater rafting, fishing, boating. In addition, the river also acts as a source of hydroelectric power, municipal water, and flood control from Folsom Dam. Several water agencies in Sacramento divert water from the American River via surface water diversions and groundwater wells in order to supply enough water for its customers. . These diversions have resulted in several negative implications on the Lower American River fishery. Therefore, the Hodge Decision was concocted in order to protect the river's salmon and steelhead populations.

Origin
In 1970, EBMUD obtained a contract from the Bureau of Reclamation which allowed the water utility district to take as much as 150,000 acre-feet of water every year using the Folsom-South Canal (FSC). The FSC is part of the Central Valley Project and diverts water from the American River at Nimbus Dam. However, the Environmental Defense Fund, Save the American River Association (SARA), and Sacramento County believed that EBMUD should divert water from a point further downstream, allowing water to remain in the river longer and carry-out natural in-stream mechanisms. In addition, SARA addressed that EBMUD's proposed diversion would deplete the river's flow by approximately 10%. Moreover, a drop of that caliper would significantly harm several fish species; of which, where already being monitored due to negative impacts of both Folsom Dam activity and surface water diversions.

Court Challenges
The Environmental Defense Fund filed suit against EBMUD in 1972 on the premise of apprehension towards the future of the Lower American River fish population. In addition, Save the American River Association (SARA) and Sacramento County joined the lawsuit as co-plaintiffs ensuing the lawsuit of Environmental Defense Fund, et al. v. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EDF v. EBMUD). After 17 years of legal maneuvering, Judge Hodge decided to enforce new flow requirements on the American River, as well as, terminate EBMUD's right to sell water taken from the American River. However, this decision also cements EBMUD's right from a 1970 federal contract, allowing the diversion of up to 150,000 acre feet of water from the American River, north of Sacramento. Judge Hodge addressed that EBMUD had other reasonable and feasible alternatives for obtaining water for their its customers. Thus, EBMUD can only divert water from the American River when specified flows, now known as Hodge Flows, are present in the river. According to Judge Hodge, if a water agency does not have any other feasible alternatives to obtaining water, the agency does not have to abide by the Hodge standard.

Hodge Flows
D-893 (1950's-1990's): Specified flows must be greater than the following: September 16 - December = 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) January - September 15 = 250 cfs Hodge Decision (1990's - Present): Specified flows must be greater than the following: October 15 - February = 2,000 cfs March - June = 3,000 cfs July - October 14 = 1,750 cfs