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an average of once every 1.7 years. Independently, Robert Belt of Kjeldsen-Sinnock <br /> estimated that the Mokelumne River exceeded its banks once every 1.67 years before dam <br /> construction, based on precipitation and stream flow data. A more complete description of <br /> the hydrology of the Ranch is presented in section 2. <br /> Pre-1960 air photos show that the Mokelumne River and Dry Creek, to the immediate <br /> north, were bordered by forest along both banks. The dense forest graded into more open <br /> savannas as distance from the river increased. The boundaries of the forest appear to have <br /> been defined by regular flooding of the river. The forest ecology, its health and dynamics <br /> were intimately associated with the hydrologic cycles of the river. The phenomenon of <br /> rivers and creeks thickly lined with forest is not a local anomaly, but descriptive of the <br /> rivers throughout the Sacramento Valley before 1840. <br /> Dramatic change in the hydrology of the Mokelumne River began in 1930 when it was <br /> dammed to create Pardee Reservoir. Pardee,owned by East Bay Municipal Utility District <br /> was followed by Salt Springs in 1931. Lower Bear Reservoir was completed in 1952, and <br /> Comanche Reservoir in 1966. By design,each of these reservoirs has restricted the flow of <br /> the river and interfered in the natural hydrologic cycle. Despite the system of dams and <br /> reservoirs, floods such as the fifty-year flood of 1986 still occur. <br /> Restoration and Management options for the Forest <br /> Flood events are integral to the ecology of the forest, however management of flood events <br /> is beyond the control of the owners and residents of Buckeye Ranch. The pros and cons of <br /> four management options are discussed, followed by a recommended management <br /> strategy. <br /> Option 1. Do nothing and allow natural catastrophic flooding to maintain the <br /> Buckeye Ranch Resource Plan (November, 1993) <br /> 168 <br />