Project abstract battle creek is a tributary of the sacramento river located in shasta and tehama counties, california, draining the western flanks of mount lassen

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 awarded American Rivers Inc. a $599,701 Project Grant on June 15, 2025, under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608) to conduct a comprehensive assessment of water intake infrastructure at Coleman National Fish Hatchery (CNFH) in California. The project, with a completion date of November 1, 2025, will deliver data collection, hydraulic and sediment transport modeling, geomorphic assessment, and analyses across multiple flow scenarios to identify upgrade and replacement options for CNFH Water Intake #2. Work products include detailed mapping of upstream and downstream areas surrounding the intake, evaluation of historical data and trends, and hydraulic and sediment transport modeling to forecast future sediment dynamics in the Battle Creek reach.

The deliverables will establish baseline data and inform recommendations to ensure reliable water supply continuity for CNFH operations, which is critical for supporting economically significant sport fishery and winter-run Chinook salmon recovery efforts. The assessment is necessitated by ongoing decommissioning of the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which has created uncertainty regarding water supply, combined with existing operational challenges including stream channel changes, sediment deposition, and a malfunctioning valve at the current intake location.

The creek is FED by abundant cold-water springs, which create year-round low temperatures and drought-resistant conditions that are essential for the preservation, protection, and recovery of salmon and trout. In 1999, numerous stakeholders entered into an agreement to restore anadromous fish passage in the creek, and these efforts are ongoing. Additionally, pacific gas and electric company has initiated the process of license surrender and decommissioning for the battle creek hydroelectric project. This decommissioning is expected to lead to significant infrastructure removals that impact the water supply for the coleman national fish hatchery (cnfh).cnfh is one of the largest fish production hatcheries in the country, playing a crucial role in supporting an economically significant sport fishery and winter run chinook recovery efforts. However, changes in the stream channel, sediment deposition, and a malfunctioning valve have adversely affected operations at cnfh water intake #2. Given these challenges and the uncertainty surrounding the water supply for cnfh, thorough investigation and planning are required to ensure lasting water sources for continued hatchery operations. The primary goal of this project is data collection, hydraulic and sediment transport modeling, a comprehensive geomorphic assessment, and related analyses in various flow scenarios to identify options and make recommendations for the upgrade and or replacement of cnfh intake #2. To achieve this, we will thoroughly map both the upstream and downstream areas of the current intake #2, collect and evaluate relevant historical data and trends, and model hydraulics and sediment transport to assess likely future sediment dynamics in the relevant reach of battle creek. This work will facilitate our establishing baseline data and informing future design for the efficient development of intake #2 upgrade plans, including: (1) specifications and estimated costs (PG e) that ensure adequate water diversions for cnfh operations, and (2) the addition of fish screens that comply with relevant national marine fisheries service (nmfs) and california department of fish and wildlife (cdfw) criteria. This work also provides important information to support future environmental compliance review requirements when upgrades to intake #2 are advanced to implementation.