Reports | Center for Watershed Sciences

Linked Surface Water-Groundwater Model for the Cosumnes River Watershed: Hydrologic Evaluation of Management Options to Restore Fall Flows

Chinook salmon fall runs on the Cosumnes River in Sacramento County California have declined as a result of diminishing fall river flows.

Experimental Agricultural Floodplain Pilot Study, 2011-2012

Managed seasonally for native fish and waterfowl habitat as well as rice production and flood control, the Nigiri Project is the first stage towards a new multi-use management paradigm for the Yolo Bypass.

Experimental Agricultural Floodplain Habitat Investigation at Knaggs Ranch on Yolo Bypass, 2012-2013

Experimental Agricultural Floodplain Habitat Investigation at Knaggs Ranch on Yolo Bypass, 2012-2013.

California Water Myths

California has a complex, highly interconnected, and decentralized water system. Although local operations draw on considerable expertise and analysis, broad public policy and planning discussions about water often involve a variety of misperceptions—or myths—about how the system works and the options available for improving its performance.

Pre-Feasibility Assessment of a Water Fund for the Ensenada Region

The Ensenada Region in Baja California (Figure ES-1) provides ecosystem services such as habitat for native species, scenic beauty and headwaters to sustain fast-growing population and high-valued agriculture in its coastal valleys.

Comparing Consumptive Agricultural Water Use in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

This study for the state Delta Protection Commission compared the effectiveness of using new remotely sensed measurement technology to estimate farmers' "consumptive water use," or the amount of irrigation water crops transpire and evaporate from the nearby soil.

Yarnell et al. 2020. Final Technical Project Report submitted to CDFW.

The primary goal of this demonstration project was to restore a portion of Childs Meadow, a 290-acre meadow complex near Lassen National Park in California, in order to increase carbon storage, improve water holding capacity, and increase populations of riparian birds and sensitive meadow-dependent species.

Habitat Models for the Foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) in the Sierra Nevada of California

In many current hydropower project relicensing studies, instream flow assessment methods are used to evaluate flow effects and proposed flow prescriptions on fish. These techniques may be applicable to other sensitive aquatic species, such as the riverine-breeding Foothill Yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii).

Regional Agreements, Adaptation, and Climate Change: New Approaches to FERC Licensing in the Sierra Nevada, California

Private hydropower projects above a threshold size require a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Many private hydropower projects in California are currently undergoing or about to begin the relicensing process. Relicensing presents an opportunity to reduce or mitigate the environmental impacts of hydropower generation.

Visual Encounter Survey Protocol for Rana Boylii in Lotic Environments

This Visual Encounter Survey (VES) protocol and associated datasheet are for use in river and stream reaches up several kilometers in length where information on all lifestages and the habitat associations of each individual is desired.