The california department of water resources (DWR) will study and design a restoration project to benefit habitat in the sacramento valley of northern yolo county, california

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded the State of California Department of Water Resources $4.08 million under the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (CFDA 15.580) on August 25, 2025, for study and design services supporting a floodplain habitat restoration project in northern Yolo County, California. The project addresses the degradation of the historic Colusa Basin Drain floodplain, which has been significantly diminished by agricultural development, resulting in disconnected river systems and loss of critical spawning habitat for Central Valley Chinook salmon. DWR will deliver hydrodynamic modeling, data collection, surveying, and preliminary engineering design to inform a comprehensive restoration initiative scheduled for completion by June 30, 2028.

The restoration project design will incorporate perimeter berms and water control structures to enable managed inundation from the Colusa Basin Drain, Sacramento River, Fremont Weir, and associated fish passage facilities. Upon implementation, the restored floodplain will provide high-quality managed habitat with abundant food resources to support the full lifecycle of Chinook salmon and steelhead while enabling adaptive management during drought conditions. The effort is supported through a public-private partnership framework, the Knaggs Ranch Experimental Agricultural Floodplain Habitat Investigators, which coordinates landowners, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and university researchers to develop regional habitat solutions.

The historic footprint of the colusa basin drain of the sacramento river has been diminished by agricultural development, leaving rivers disconnected from their full floodplain extent, and resulting in a loss of floodplain habitat, including critical spawning habitat for the central valley chinook salmon. The DWR will conduct hydrodynamic modeling, data collection, and surveying to support the study and preliminary design of a restoration project. Ultimately, the restoration project will include perimeter berms and water control structures, allowing the area to be inundated by flows from the colusa basin drain or the sacramento river via the fremont weir, the fremont weir fish ladder, or the yolo bypass salmonid habitat restoration and fish passage project. The restored inundation flows will provide high-quality managed floodplain habitat, rich in food resources that support the full-lifecycle and survival of all runs of chinook salmon and steelhead and allow for adaptive management during periods of prolonged drought. The project is supported by the knaggs ranch experimental agricultural floodplain habitat investigators, a private-public partnership between landowners, government agencies, non-government organizations, and university researchers dedicated to finding a regional solution.