Flood Risk and Management of California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Levee System

University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) | September 15th, 2020

Flow Augmentations Modify an Estuarine Prey Field

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 15th, 2023

Flow Recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | May 22nd, 2008

Pursuant to Public Resouces Code (PRC) Section 10001, in the early 1980s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in coordination with all regional DFG offices, identified

Pursuant to Public Resouces Code (PRC) Section 10001, in the early 1980s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) in coordination with all regional DFG offices, identified 21 streams and watercourses for which minimum flow levels needed to be established in order to assure the continued viability of stream-related fish and wildlife resources. Over approximately 20 years, DFG investigated the instream flow needs of these listed streams and watercourses.  The investigations included field studies, data analyses, and consultations with local, state, and federal agencies and interested individuals and organizations.  As a result of the investigations, DFG prepared instream flow recommendations for the listed streams. The attached transmittal summarizes the flow recommendations prepared by DFG pursuant to PRC 10000.  Submission of these recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) complies with PRC Section 10002. As will be evident upon review, the attached flow recommendations are intended to supplement, but not replace, current administrative records.  The attached flow recommendations should not be implemented by the SWRCB without further investigation and consideration of supporting information that would identify constraints or limitations that qualify each recommendation. In addition, as noted on each recommendation, some studies were done many years ago using early methods.  DFG has established an administrative file in the Water Branch that contains the resource documents cited in the flow recommendations.

Flows and Fishes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | August 1st, 2015

Record-low counts of Delta smelt at a time of persistent drought underscore the importance and challenges of managing freshwater flows for the benefit of fishes in the Sa

Record-low counts of Delta smelt at a time of persistent drought underscore the importance and challenges of managing freshwater flows for the benefit of fishes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while also meeting human demands for water. Understanding the effects of water flows on fishes is central to understanding how the Delta ecosystem functions and is key to achieving the state’s coequal goals of “providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring and enhancing the Delta ecosystem … in a manner that protects and enhances … the values of Delta as an evolving place”. The economic, ecological, and social costs of scientific uncertainty in water management controversies are significant - and to some degree unavoidable. Scientific findings that relate fishes and flows increasingly guide decisions on how to manage flows for the well-being of threatened or endangered species in the Delta. Many studies – and management decisions – rely on correlations between water flows and fish populations. But the decisions warrant fuller understanding of precisely how the flows affect the fishes. Knowledge of these underlying mechanisms is likely to facilitate adaptive management by clarifying uncertainty and risk, by creating specific expectations for outcomes and by strengthening testable hypotheses. This report therefore recommends, first and foremost (there are other recommendations as well), redoubling effects to identify causes and effects concerning fishes and flows in the Delta.

Fluid migration pathways to groundwater in mature oil fields: Exploring the roles of water injection/production and oil-well integrity in California, USA

Science of The Total Environment (Elsevier) | August 23rd, 2023

Forest Management (Resource Management Strategy)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29th, 2016

Forest lands in California, the majority of which are in the middle to high elevation foothills and mountains, produce a diverse array of resources such as water, timber,

Forest lands in California, the majority of which are in the middle to high elevation foothills and mountains, produce a diverse array of resources such as water, timber, native vegetation, fish, wildlife, and livestock, and outdoor recreation. However, the water produced by these forests has economic value that equals or exceeds that of any other forest resource (Krieger 2001; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 2003). Most of California’s major rivers and a substantial portion of its runoff originate in these forests; therefore, most of California’s major water development projects are tied strongly to forested watersheds. Forest management activities can affect water quantity and quality. This strategy focuses on forest management activities, on both public and privately-owned forest lands, whose goals specifically include improvement of the availability and quality of water for downstream users.

Fourth Five Year Review Report for the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 Superfund Site, Los Angeles, California

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | September 15th, 2022

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-Year Review is to review information to determine if the remedy is and will continue to be protective of human health and the environment. The Site addresses approximately 10 square miles of groundwater contamination in eastern Los Angeles County within the San Gabriel Valley. Groundwater contamination is believed to result from the cumulative impact of decades of improper chemical handling and disposal practices at numerous industrial operations in the Valley. The Site contamination originates at current and former industrial facilities in and near Azusa, California and extends to the southwest through portions of the cities of Irwindale, Baldwin Park, West Covina, and Industry. The most prevalent contaminants in groundwater are trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, perchlorate, n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and 1,4-dioxane.

Fragmented kelp forest canopies retain their ability to alter local seawater chemistry

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | July 20th, 2020

Kelp forests support some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth, and their ability to uptake dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) allows them to modify loca

Kelp forests support some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth, and their ability to uptake dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) allows them to modify local seawater chemistry, creating gradients in carbon, pH, and oxygen in their vicinity. By taking up both bicarbonate and CO2 as a carbon source for photosynthesis, kelp forests can act as carbon sinks, reducing nearby acidity and increasing dissolved oxygen; creating conditions conducive to calcification. Recent stressors, however, have reduced kelp forest canopies globally; converting once large and persistent forests to fragmented landscapes of small kelp patches. In a two-year study, we determined whether fragmented kelp patches retained the ability to alter local seawater chemistry. We found that diel fluctuations of multiple parameters of carbonate chemistry were greater in the kelp canopy than in the kelp benthos and in adjacent urchin barrens, consistent with metabolic activity by the kelp. Further, kelp fragments increased pH and aragonite saturation and decreased pCO 2 during the day to a similar degree as large, intact kelp forests. We conclude that small kelp patches could mitigate OA stress and serve as spatial and temporal refugia for canopy-dwelling organisms, though this effect is temporary and confined to daylight hours during the growing season.

Framework to Coordinate Water Quality Improvement and Wildlife Habitat Conservation to Protect California Streams, Wetlands and Riparian Areas

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | February 1st, 2016

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management pr

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management programs provides an opportunity for their coordination to better protect California’s aquatic resources, especially streams, wetlands, and riparian areas. Such coordination is patently desirable. A framework has been developed to help coordinate restoration and compensatory mitigation across policies governing wildlife conservation and water quality in the landscape context. The framework is based on the Wetland and Riparian Area Monitoring Plan (WRAMP) of the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW) of the Water Quality Monitoring Council. The framework presented here is a version of the standard WRAMP framework. It only differs from the standard framework to better accommodate wildlife conservation planning, assessment and reporting. To distinguish this version from the standard version, it is termed theWRAMP for wildlife (WRAMPw).

Franks Tract Futures

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | April 26th, 2022