Review of CDFW Recommendations for the 2022 Readoption of Drought Emergency Regulations on the Scott River and Recommendations for Future Management During Extreme Drought Conditions

Siskiyou Farm Bureau | August 31st, 2022

Revised Incidental Take Methodology for the Coordinated Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) | January 30th, 2019

Revised Water Right Decision 1641

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | December 29th, 1999

Rewilding the upper Klamath River Basin: rapid recolonization of Chinook salmon following the world’s largest dam removal

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | August 27th, 2026

Habitat fragmentation is a global driver of decline in biodiversity, yet evaluations of ecological response following re-connection remain rare. In 2024, four hydroelectr

Habitat fragmentation is a global driver of decline in biodiversity, yet evaluations of ecological response following re-connection remain rare. In 2024, four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed, reconnecting over 640 km of anadromous habitat and marking the largest dam removal project completed to date. We used a stationary high-resolution multi-beam imaging SONAR to quantify adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) passage into newly reopened reaches during the first two migratory seasons following dam removal. An estimated 7,742 (95% CI: 7,702–7,778) Chinook salmon migrated upstream in 2024 and 13,310 (95% CI: 12,876–13,733) in 2025, representing 18–19% of fish returning to the Klamath River Basin. Within this period, Chinook salmon recolonized 88% of their documented historical distribution, expanding into 345 km of reconnected habitats and reaching elevations of up to 1,250 m. Recolonization required fish to swim through dam removal sites, complex hydraulic corridors and engineered fishways, demonstrating the propensity for rapid recolonization at basin scale despite these challenges. These findings provide the first quantitative assessment of salmon response to the world’s largest dam removal and demonstrate how reconnection can catalyze large-scale recolonization in historically fragmented river networks.

River-Aquifer Interactions, Geologic Heterogeneity, and Low-Flow Management

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | ?

Low river flows are commonly controlled by river-aquifer exchange, the magnitude of which is governed by hydraulic properties of both aquifer and aquitard mater

Low river flows are commonly controlled by river-aquifer exchange, the magnitude of which is governed by hydraulic properties of both aquifer and aquitard materials beneath the river. Low flows are often important ecologically. Numerical simulations were used to assess how textural heterogeneity of an alluvial system influences river seepage and low flows. The Cosumnes River in California was used as a test case. Declining fall flows in the Cosumnes River have threatened Chinook salmon runs. A ground water–surface water model for the lower river basin was developed, which incorporates detailed geostatistical simulations of aquifer heterogeneity. Six different realizations of heterogeneity and a homogenous model were run for a 3-year period. Net annual seepage from the river was found to be similar among the models. However, spatial distribution of seepage along the channel, water table configuration and the level of local connection, and disconnection between the river and aquifer showed strong variations among the different heterogeneous models. Most importantly, the heterogeneous models suggest that river seepage losses can be reduced by local reconnections, even when the regional water table remains well below the riverbed. The percentage of river channel responsible for 50% of total river seepage ranged from 10% to 26% in the heterogeneous models as opposed to 23% in the homogeneous model. Differences in seepage between the models resulted in up to 13 d difference in the number of days the river was open for salmon migration during the critical fall months in one given year.

Ruling on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Case No. Bcv-22-103220-Gap, Bring Back the Kern et al v. City of Bakersfield et al

Superior Court of California, County of Kern | October 30th, 2023

SacPAS Fish Model: A model for emergence, migration and survival of Sacramento River salmon

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 1st, 2017

Sacramento County | Making Room for Recharge: Cosumnes River Levee Removal and Floodplain Restoration

Nature Conservancy | June 12th, 2014

Reconnecting rivers to floodplains can facilitate groundwater recharge. A recent project along the Cosumnes River is one of the first to intentionally demonstra

Reconnecting rivers to floodplains can facilitate groundwater recharge. A recent project along the Cosumnes River is one of the first to intentionally demonstrate this recharge benefit. While this project was expensive and more complex than many forms of recharge, public funding paid for the project and a partnership with UC Davis is improving the understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions and basin groundwater conditions. In 2014, The Nature Conservancy piloted this concept by selectively removing portions of a private levee system along the Cosumnes River to enhance floodplain processes and restore approximately 500 acres of riparian habitat. The levee removal project offers multiple environmental benefits, including increased groundwater recharge in the floodplain.

Sacramento River Temperature Task Group Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | October 6th, 2014

Sacramento River Temperature Task Group Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 21st, 2018