Placer County Water Agency

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• Placer County Water Agency
• Middle Fork American River Project
• (FERC No. 2079)
• Recreation Technical Working Group Meeting
• March 6, 2008

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• General VisitorSurvey Protocols

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Proposed Sampling Effort

• Table 5

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General Protocols

• Statistical sites will be sampled on weekdays,
  weekend days and holidays
• Qualitative sites will be sampled on weekends and
  holidays
• Sampling effort for statistical sites is
  stratified by month based on use distribution
  June, July, August
• For each month, the number of holiday,
  weekend-day, and weekday sample-day are assigned
• Fridays will not be scheduled for sampling to
  provide an open day for QA/QC and data management
  activities and to allow for adjustments to the
  sampling schedule, if needed
• Each sample-day represents two sample-blocks
• Each sample-block represents a four hour sample
  effort

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General Protocols

• Sampling-blocks dates for each month are first
  randomly selected for each day-type
• Second, sampling blocks were systematically
  adjusted to account for staff loading
• Staff load balancing only occurs within
  day-type categories
• Example A weekday sampling block can be
  re-assigned to another weekday but not a
  weekend-day
• Sampling block times are systematically selected
  based on survey location and facility type
• Surveyors will remain on site 4 hours (AM, PM, or
  evening) for each designated survey block
• Surveyors will survey all persons encountered
  during the sampling block, provided they are
  willing to participate

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Site-Specific Protocols

• Campgrounds
• Surveys will be conducted during AM blocks (8-12)
  or evening blocks(4-8) only
• Survey team will coordinate sampling dates for
  reserved group sites with Forest Service to
  ensure occupancy at site
• All Other Individual Sites
• Surveys will be conducted during AM blocks (8-12)
  or PM blocks(1-5)
• Grouped Sites
• Surveys will be conducted during AM blocks (8-12)
  or PM blocks(1-5)
• Surveyors will rove through groups of sites over
  a 4-hour period
• Starting points within each group of sites will
  be randomly selected
• All persons encountered at any one site will be
  approached and asked to participate in the survey

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Site-Specific Protocols

• Survey Administration
• Section A-1 will be administered at all survey
  locations
• With the exception of campgrounds, each user will
  be asked to complete two additional relevant
  sections based upon the primary activities they
  identify
• Users intercepted at campgrounds will be asked to
  complete all relevant sections
• Survey administration may be adjusted pending the
  pre-test results and/or feedback from early
  sampling efforts

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Site-Specific Protocols

• Locations in ASRA
• Surveys will be conducted during AM blocks (8-12)
  or evening blocks (1-5), and will target
  stream-based recreation users
• Sections A-1 and A-5 will be administered at all
  locations
• Section A-7 will also be administered, if
  applicable
• Ruck-a-Chucky
• Sections A-1 and A-5 will be administered to all
  users
• One of the following sections will be
  administered - Section A-2, A-3, or A-7

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Survey Log

• Survey logs will be completed for each sampling
  location
• Surveyors will record the following information
  on the survey log

• Site Identification
• Weather Conditions
• Site Conditions
• Surveyor Name
• Date
• Time Arrived at Site
• Time Departed Site
• Estimated Number of People at Site

• Contact Number
• Contact Time
• Surveyed Previously (Y/N)
• Willingness to Participate (Y/N)
• Survey No.
• Male/Female (M/F)
• Part of Family? (Y/N)
• Part of Larger Group (Y/N)
• How may in family/group (/)

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Proposed Sampling Schedule

• Sampling schedule tables

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Proposed Pretest Process and Schedule

• Conduct surveys at Ruck-a-Chucky on Sunday, March
  9th
• If no one is present at Ruck-a-Chucky, move to
  Confluence
• Conduct interviews over a 4-hour period, from 1PM
  - 5 PM
• Intercept all users present at site
• Record survey participation notes on survey log
• Report results and discuss proposed survey form/
  protocol revisions to group at March 26th TWG

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Focus Groups
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Focus Groups

• Draft Invitation Letter(s)
• Proposed Discussion Topics
• Whitewater Boating Focus Group
• Angler Focus Group
• Trail Users/Stream Crossing Focus Group
• Timing
• February - March 2008 Identify Focus Group
  participants for each Focus Group
• February - March 2008 Develop Focus Group
  topics
• April - May 2008 Conduct Focus Group sessions

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Whitewater Boating Flow Studies
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Flow Study Implementation

• Timing
• March - April 2008 Develop flow study survey
  instruments
• March - April 2008 Evaluate water-year data to
  refine windows for flow study Implementation
• April - May 2008 Select flow study team members
  
• June 2008 Orientation of study team members
• July - October 2008 Implement studies in
  coordination with instream flow studies conducted
  as part of AQ 1 TSP

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Flow Study Implementation

• Study Reaches and Potential Target Flows

Oxbow PH to Ruck-a-Chucky 975 - 1,025 cfs 775 - 825 cfs 575 - 625 cfs
Ruck-a-Chucky to Mammoth Bar Mammoth Bar to Confluence Confluence to Oregon Bar 975 - 1,025 cfs 775 - 825 cfs 575 - 625 cfs 350 - 400 cfs
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Flow Study Implementation

• Whitewater survey form

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