CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix G. Identification of Target Species and Focused Conservation Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) environmental stewardship activities related to integrated flood management in the Central Valley, and to provide a framework and support for programmatic permitting of flood management activities.  One goal of the Conservation Strategy is to contribute to the recovery and stability of native species populations and overall biotic community diversity. A set of potential target species was identified to support measurable objectives for this goal. For those target species with the greatest need for recovery of their populations, focused conservation planning was conducted. This appendix documents the process used for selecting the target species of the Conservation Strategy, including 17 target species for which focused conservation planning was conducted. The results of this focused planning are also provided in this appendix, in the form of focused conservation plans. This document is scheduled to be updated every 5 years.   Because the conservation needs of species change, in the future, additional species may become suitable targets for the Conservation Strategy. Therefore, during preparation of the 5-year updates to the CVFPP, the preliminary list of species in this appendix will be reevaluated using the same criteria described below. Species meeting these criteria will be added, and focused conservation plans will be developed for them and included in subsequent updates of the Conservation Strategy. During the public comment period, new information regarding the status of the delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and its habitat use in the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA) was made available, and a recovery plan for the species is expected to be released in 2016; therefore, this species will be considered for inclusion in the 2022 CVFPP and Conservation Strategy. Other species that were considered during the initial screening could be reconsidered, and targeted conservation plans may be developed. These species include the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii), and western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). 

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix H. Central Valley Chinook Salmon Rearing Habitat Required to Satisfy the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program Doubling Goal

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources Office Conservation Strategy team, applied best available tools and data to estimate the area of suitable juvenile salmonid rearing habitat required in each of the Conservation Planning Areas (CPAs) to achieve the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP) “doubling goal” for Chinook salmon populations. The AFRP goal was used to align the Conservation Strategy objectives with existing,longstanding efforts by partner resource management agencies. Historical and existing suitable rearing habitat area for juvenile salmonids was estimated with the Estimated Annual Habitat approach that uses measured hydrology and modeled hydraulic relationships between river flow and inundation area to calculate areas of inundation with timing, duration, and frequency suitable for juvenile California Chinook salmon rearing. The rearing habitat required to support the doubling goal populations was estimated using the Emigrating Salmonid Habitat Estimation model. The details of the approach and the full range of calculated results are presented in the following sections and appendices.

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix I. Floodplain Restoration Opportunity Analysis

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

As part of the Conservation Strategy for the 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), a continuation of the Floodplain Restoration Opportunity Analysis (FROA) (

As part of the Conservation Strategy for the 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), a continuation of the Floodplain Restoration Opportunity Analysis (FROA) (DWR 2012a) was conducted to develop, identify, and prioritize potential locations for implementing management actions. Two types of management actions were considered in this analysis: modification of floodplain topography (specifically, lowering floodplain topography through targeted excavation) and levee relocation (specifically, constructing setback levees). Preliminary areas for floodplain modification and setback levees were identified within the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA) of the State Plan of Flood Control (SPFC) (Figure 1-1). The following technical memorandum documents the goal, objectives, methods, and results of this analysis.

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix J. Existing Conservation Objectives from Other Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conserva

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conservation plans that have been implemented or are planned for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Regional planning efforts such as the Conservation Strategy are most effective when coordinated with similar programs and plans, in terms of both cost efficiency and ecological benefit. For example, knowledge gained through implementation of existing plans has refined the Conservation Strategy’s objectives and approaches. Additionally, during strategy implementation, collaboration with other planning efforts will provide greater opportunities for effective, integrated, landscape-level conservation. This could support achievement of individual plans’ important ecological objectives, such as improving habitat connectivity and increasing the size of habitat preserves. In other words, the collaborative approach will allow the Conservation Strategy to contribute to the shared objectives of the other plans while meeting its own objectives.  The purpose of this appendix is to describe completed and ongoing planning efforts that have regional, geographically based, or quantifiable conservation measures that may be relevant to the Conservation Strategy. All of the plans and programs described overlap at least partially with the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA). The list presented herein is not comprehensive, but provides examples of efforts that were considered in developing the Conservation Strategy. In this appendix, completed planning efforts are summarized first, followed by those that are in progress. Potential relationships between these plans or programs and the Conservation Strategy are summarized in Table 1-1. Some programs, such as efforts to identify total maximum daily loads or implement Integrated Regional Water Management Plans, may support conservation work, but their objectives are dissimilar to those of the Conservation Strategy (i.e., focused on meeting water quality standards), so were not included.  This appendix is not intended to present an analysis of each plan in detail. Rather, the intent is to identify areas of potential overlap between relevant plans and the Conservation Strategy. As the Conservation Strategy is implemented, potentially synergistic areas and areas of possible conflict between the Conservation Strategy and individual plans can continue to be identified.  This appendix supports and recognizes considerations that will be essential as the Conservation Strategy is implemented. Specifically, this appendix:  • efficiently uses current information to inform the Conservation Strategy regarding potential conservation goals; recognizes that multiple conservation plans and collaborative planning efforts have been completed, are in development, or are being implemented: in whole or in part, the plans address many of the targeted species and habitats that occur in the SPA, and the plans help identify conservation needs and priorities in the flood risk management system; highlights potential conservation partnerships for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in implementing the Conservation Strategy, by: describing opportunities to share costs on conservation projects and describing opportunities for DWR to simultaneously meet its own conservation goals and contribute to plans or programs through specific projects; and identifies completed conservation planning efforts, from which “lessons learned” can be applied to Conservation Strategy implementation

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix L. Measurable Objectives Development: Summary of Conservation Needs and Scale of Restoration Opportunities

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

This appendix summarizes the conservation needs and opportunities that were considered during development of measureable objectives for the Central Valley Flood Protectio

This appendix summarizes the conservation needs and opportunities that were considered during development of measureable objectives for the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) Conservation Strategy (Conservation Strategy or Strategy). The summary of conservation needs is based on the needs identified in existing conservation plans for species of riverine and floodplain habitats, as further described below. The summary of conservation opportunities is based on the opportunities identified during the California Department of Water Resources (DWR’s) preliminary planning of multi-benefit flood risk reduction projects (multi-benefit projects) for the 2017 update of the CVFPP.  A Technical Advisory Workgroup (Workgroup) was convened to help DWR evaluate conservation needs and opportunities and apply this evaluation to the development of long-term measurable objectives for the Conservation Strategy. The members of the Workgroup included flood planners and managers (including the Central Valley Flood Protection Board), and biologists from resource agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Its members provided guidance regarding the methods used to create these summaries and reviewed the preliminary results based on them.  The following sections of this appendix describe the methods used to summarize conservation needs and opportunities to, in turn, develop the measurable objectives. They also discuss the results of using those methods and provide the Workgroup’s recommendations regarding measurable objectives for the Conservation Strategy. The results are provided in Attachments 1, 2, and 3. 

Debris flow occurrence under changing climate and wildfire regimes: A southern California perspective

Geomorphology (Elsevier) | December 2nd, 2022

In southern California, wildfire incidents are increasing in frequency and magnitude. There is a great deal of research predicting the impact of climate change on large s

In southern California, wildfire incidents are increasing in frequency and magnitude. There is a great deal of research predicting the impact of climate change on large scale fire regimes. These impacts, now the new normal, include increases in future fire incidents and burn severities. Yet predictive studies on how ecosystems respond to changing fire regimes are lacking. Identifying trends in post-fire erosion patterns, such as post-fire debris flows, is critical for increasing human resiliency and adaptation to changing weather patterns and eventual long-term climate change. The relative historical abundance of post-fire debris flows in southern California presents this concern: will worsening wildfire regimes result in more post-fire debris flows? Our research addresses this concern by utilizing a descriptive approach to analyze post-fire debris flows in southern California from 2001 to 2018 to elucidate possible trends. We found that 84 % of debris flows originate from watersheds with soils burnt at moderate soil burn severity. We found that debris flow occurrence is more reliant on the percent coverage of a soil burn severity classification than its areal extent. Further, larger fires also tended to produce more debris flows and most (73 %) debris flow watersheds occurred in predominantly bedrock areas. Our research suggests that the number of post-fire runoff-generated debris flows in the region will increase if fires continue to increase in size, occur on slopes of at least 20°, burn south-facing watersheds with bedrock of igneous or sedimentary origin to at least a moderate severity, and peak rainfall intensity return intervals do not change. These findings highlight the interconnectivity between natural erosive processes, wildfires, humans, and climate change.

Defining Snow Drought and Why It Matters

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | February 28th, 2017

On 12 February, water resource managers at the Oroville Dam issued an evacuation warning that forced some 180,000 Californians to relocate to higher ground. The story of

On 12 February, water resource managers at the Oroville Dam issued an evacuation warning that forced some 180,000 Californians to relocate to higher ground. The story of how conditions got to this point involves several factors, but two clearly stand out: the need to prevent water shortages during a record drought, followed by one of the wettest October–February periods in California history.

Degradation of floodplain integrity within the contiguous United States

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 15th, 2023

Delta Adapts: Creating a Climate Resilient Future

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | June 25th, 2021

The time to act is now. Climate change is already altering the physical environment of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh (Delta), and we will continue t

The time to act is now. Climate change is already altering the physical environment of the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh (Delta), and we will continue to experience its effects through hotter temperatures, more severe wildfires, and prolonged droughts. Over the long term, climate change in the Delta is expected to harm human health and safety, disrupt the economy, diminish water supply availability and usability, shift ecosystem function, compromise sensitive habitats, and increase the challenges of providing basic services. Many of these impacts will disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. Although the exact extent and timing of these impacts is uncertain, this climate change vulnerability assessment phase of Delta Adapts will help the Delta Stewardship Council (Council) understand specific regional climate risks and vulnerabilities. Regional, collaborative adaptation strategies rooted in science are more critical than ever. The next phase of Delta Adapts, preparing an adaptation strategy, will identify ways to address the risks and vulnerabilities.

Delta Adapts: Creating a Climate Resilient Future

Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) | June 25th, 2025

The Delta Stewardship Council (Council) was established, in part, to provide sustainable management for the Delta ecosystem, and climate adaptation is a critical consider

The Delta Stewardship Council (Council) was established, in part, to provide sustainable management for the Delta ecosystem, and climate adaptation is a critical consideration to achieve that mission in future decades. To respond to the challenge of climate adaptation,the Council developed this initiative, Delta Adapts: Creating a Climate Resilient Future (Delta Adapts). Climate change must be considered to attain the state’s coequal goals, as established by the 2009 Delta Reform Act: securing a reliable water supply for California, protecting and restoring the ecosystem and wildlife it supports, and enhancing the Delta as a unique place, with its community, tribal, and agricultural heritage. The Council adopted the Delta Plan, which has regulatory policies that protect land for restoration and agriculture, help manage flood risk, and improve water supply reliability. The Delta Plan directs the Council to guide and regulate actions of the 200+ state and local agencies in the Delta to ensure they support statewide water supply reliability and Delta ecosystem restoration.