The east BAY municipal utility district will work with local landowners to complete the study and design of two 25-acre floodplain restoration projects which, once constructed, will inundate roughly…

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) was awarded a $999,521 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (CFDA 15.580) on June 7, 2024. The grant will fund the study and design of two 25-acre floodplain restoration projects along the lower Mokelumne River, a tributary to the San Joaquin River in California's Central Valley. Once implemented, these restoration projects will inundate approximately 50 acres of off-channel rearing habitat, benefiting federally listed fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. The project includes baseline surveys, modeling, and stakeholder outreach to refine the design alternatives. This grant supports federal efforts to address the critical need for increased floodplain habitat in the region, as identified in state planning efforts and a federal recovery plan for the endangered fish species.

The east BAY municipal utility district will work with local landowners to complete the study and design of two 25-acre floodplain restoration projects which, once constructed, will inundate roughly 50 acres of off-channel rearing habitat benefitting federally listed, fall-run chinook salmon and steelhead trout. The project area is on the lower mokelumne river, a tributary to the SAN joaquin river in californias central valley, where state planning efforts and a federal recovery plan identify lack of floodplain habitat as a critical need for the federally-listed fish. This project will include baseline surveys of vegetation, wetlands and stream characteristics, and modeling to refine project alternatives, design development, pre-project monitoring and stakeholder outreach. When implemented, the floodplain restoration projects will provide high quality rearing habitat along the migration corridor of the mokelumne river, offering multiple opportunities for fish to access refugia habitat, leading to improved juvenile growth rates before out-migration into the delta.