American River 9

Restoration Stories

In the lower American River, a large spawning and rearing restoration project at Upper Sailor Bar near the Nimbus Hatchery was completed.  14,000 cubic yards of spawning rocks were installed into the main channel and carved a 1,200 ft side channel on the north bank of the river. This is a really important project because since 2016 permitting was held up and prevented from doing projects, and the need has grown since the high flows in 2017. This represents a breakthrough for these projects and sets the stage to continue yearly projects going forward. During this project, 5.5 acres of salmon habitat were restored in a river that produces about 20% of all fall-run. These projects were primarily funded by the CVPIA and represent an excellent partnership by local, state, and federal agencies. Learn more here and here. Photo summary here and here. © Lily Allen, Water Forum