The yurok tribe will perform reach-wide data collection, design and fluvial analyses, and data collection for environmental compliance permitting for salmonid habitat projects and removal of fish…

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) awarded the Yurok Tribe $11.6 million through the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (CFDA 15.580) on July 22, 2025, for comprehensive salmonid habitat restoration and fish passage barrier removal projects across multiple creeks in Northern California. The award supports a multi-year initiative extending through December 31, 2029, encompassing reach-wide data collection, fluvial analyses, hydrological modeling, and environmental compliance permitting. The Tribal Restoration Team will conduct detailed site investigations, topographic surveys documenting channel dimensions and water velocities, and develop HEC-RAS (Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System) hydraulic models to evaluate sediment transport dynamics across critical salmon spawning reaches.

The project deliverables include analysis of hydrology for various flow events (winter base flow, mean annual, and 2-, 10-, and 100-year recurrence interval storm events), risk assessments for infrastructure-adjacent projects, and finalized engineering designs following design team review. Fish passage barrier removal will proceed selectively on critical tributaries only where salmon presence upstream of the barriers is confirmed, with protective measures implemented for amphibian species. These activities align with the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program's mandate to support collaboratively developed restoration projects that improve fisheries and aquatic habitat health while demonstrating regional benefits across multiple stakeholder groups.

The yurok tribe will perform reach-wide data collection, design and fluvial analyses, and data collection for environmental compliance permitting for salmonid habitat projects and removal of fish passage barriers on several creeks. The tribal restoration team will conduct site preparation, site investigations, and data collection topographic surveys along critical reaches including channel dimensions, water depths, velocities, and evaluate hydraulics and sediment transport dynamics. They will develop HEC RAS models for sediment transport review hydrology for pertinent flow events, including winter base flow, mean annual, 2-, 10-, and 100-year recurrence interval storm events and conduct risk assessments for projects surrounding infrastructure. After design team review, the designs will be finalized. Fish passage barriers on critical salmon spawning tributaries will be removed only if IT is determined that salmon existed upstream of the barriers to protect amphibian species.