The Sierra Nevada Alliance released the report State of Sierra Waters: A Sierra Nevada Watersheds Index on Wednesday March 22nd to the public and media. Staff, board and allies conducted news conferences in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Reno.
Their report showed that of the 24 Sierra Nevada watersheds sampled, three-quarters had stretches that were not swimmable, fishable, drinkable or open for recreation at some point in the last five years. These watersheds are major river systems that include rivers, lakes and streams.
The first of its kind, the State of Sierra Waters report evaluates 24 major Sierra watersheds (or river systems which include lakes and streams) using 30 indicators of environmental health. The analysis is based on publicly available data from various state and federal agencies.
Release of the report was widely covered in the state's newspapers, television, radio and electronic news services, including the San Diego Union Tribune; Las Vegas Sun; Contra Costa Times; Reno Gazette-Journal; Monterey County Herald; 8 Sierra newspapers ; KRNV; KXTV-10 – ABC; KOLO News; and The Capitol Morning Report.
The full report is free if you download it from www.sierranevadaalliance.org and click on publications. Note the report is 170 pages. You can receive a hard copy for $20 – contact kathy@sierranevadalliance.org or 530-542-4546 to order.
