Some Key Facts about the Albion

• The Albion River Watershed covers 43 square miles - or 30,000 acres.
  
  
• The beneficial uses of water on this river are fish habitat, habitat for non-fish aquatic species, recreation and domestic water use.
  
  
• The river has 87.5 miles of Class I [fish-bearing], 76.3 miles of Class II [other aquatic species] and 97.4 miles of Class III [ephemeral] watercourses.
  
  
• There are currently both coho and steelhead populations present. All three year-classes of coho are present and are uncontaminated by hatchery stock. These fish are critical to the recovery of coho in Mendocino County and should be considered a genetic refugia.
  
  
• The Albion is on the EPA's list of waterbodies impaired by sediment.
  
  
• In the last ten years, approximately 140 timber harvest plans have been approved on the Albion; other impacts are residential and agricultural use, and a developed marina on the estuary.
  
  
• A multi-agency report of 1978 found the Albion estuary to be a sensitive area and recommended no further development. There are eel grass beds located in the estuary. These provide a substrate for invertebrates, cover from predators for fish.
  
  
• There are 47 animal species and 92 plant species that are listed as threatened, endangered or sensitive that may live in the Albion.

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Redwood Coast Watersheds Alliance        PO Box 87, Elk, CA 95432        email: info@rcwa.us