The beginning of 2017 was met with an intense storm that sent over 350 billion gallons of water into California’s parched reservoirs. Lake Oroville, Lake Shasta and other reservoirs in Northern California are key pieces of the state’s water system, which moves the resource from the Sierra Nevada to cities and farmlands. Waterways across the state rose to above average levels, causing pressure on levees downstream and flooding in many towns. To relieve this pressure, the Sacramento weir opened its floodgates for the first time in a decade, releasing water downstream into the Yolo Bypass flowing at an incredible 10,000 cubic feet per second. Allowing the water to course through the gates is designed to calm the raging waters at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers.
California’s drought-ravaged waterways are welcoming the relief. Considering surface water alone, the majority of the state is in good condition following the storms, particularly Northern California. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, nearly all of Northern California has been relieved of the drought. This doesn’t hold true for other parts of the state though. In the Central Valley and Southern California, groundwater deficiency remains due to heavy pumping and overdrawn basins during recent dry years. These areas are not expected to make much of a recovery despite these big storms. Still, northerly precipitation remains the most vital asset in clearing up the drought since it feeds the big reservoirs that supply water across the entire state.
The winter steelhead run should kick in to gear once the rivers begin to recede. The winter storms show promise for some native fish recovery, whose numbers have been majorly depleted as a result of the six-year drought. Full recovery will likely take years, and for some species, will require normal to above-normal rainfall in the coming years.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.