The Yuba II Project is a large-scale forest restoration project that will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve ecosystem health in the Yuba River watershed through treatments implemented within 48,000 acres on the Tahoe National Forest. This project is a multi-year partnership with the National Forest Foundation, Tahoe National Forest, University of California Merced, Yuba Water Agency.
State / Province: California
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WRD Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter Water Treatment Facility Improvement
In partnership with the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) and corporate sponsors, we supported the acquisition of a brackish water well to bolster regional water supply. The well is a component of the Torrance Groundwater Desalter Expansion Project (TGDE), which will use reverse osmosis to remove the salts from brackish groundwater and will provide high-quality drinking water to local water customers. This initiative is part of WRD’s Brackish Groundwater Reclamation Program, which seeks to optimize underutilized water resources and reduce dependence on imported water from the Colorado River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
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WRD LVL Advanced Water Treatment Injection Wells Project
The Water Replenishment District of the City of Downey will construct a new injection well to increase groundwater recharge within the source aquifer to improve local water resilience. Project benefits include reducing imported water use to maintain the Alitmos Barrier, increase water supply through groundwater recharge, and maximize re-use of recycled wastewater produced by the LA Sanitation Districts.
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Upper Los Angeles River Watershed Restoration
The Program led by the Council for Watershed Health focuses on removing the invasive, water-intensive Arundo donax (giant reed) from critical areas within the watershed, including the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica Mountains. Arundo transpires water at five times the rate of native plants, significantly impacting water resources, quality, and habitat. By removing Arundo, this project aims to restore approximately 82 acres, improving water availability for downstream capture/recharge and in-stream flow, with each acre cleared providing 20 acre-feet per year of water savings. The eradication will also reduce fire risks and promote the recovery of native vegetation and wildlife habitats.
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Tuolumne River Reforestation
In partnership with the National Forest Foundation, we funded the restoration of approximately 200 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest that burned during the 2013 Rim Fire. A large portion of the Stanislaus National Forest is in the Tuolumne River Watershed, which is the primary drinking water supply for Bay Area residents. The Rim Fire burned over 257,000 acres of forest, making it the third largest wildfire in California history at the time. Restoring this land reduces the risk of future fire by removing the dead trees, brush, and plants that can act as fuel. It also reduces erosion, improves water quality, maintains habitat for local wildlife, and provides outdoor recreation opportunities.
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Toilet Leak Detection Mercy Housing San Francisco
In partnership with Sensor Industries, Pacific Institute and Mercy Housing, a senior and low income development in San Francisco’s Mission Bay district installed 203 toilet sensors to collect toilet leak data in the building and prevent water loss with leak repairs. This collaborative project is tackling water waste using an innovative toilet leak detection system. A small, non-obtrusive sensor attached to the toilet water supply line can identify toilet leaks in real time. The sensors connect to an online dashboard that sends immediate alerts to property managers and generates work orders for maintenance teams, creating an efficient process to find and fix toilet leaks. Each installation helps save water, streamline property maintenance, and reduce water and wastewater costs.
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Three Creeks Mono-Owens Watershed Restoration Project Phase 1
This project aims to implement a landscape-scale approach to restore forest health in Inyo National Forest near the headwaters of the Owens River. Ecological forest management practices will be employed across 1,302 acres that have suffered greatly due to bark beetle infestation and are now highly at risk of destruction from catastrophic wildfires. The outcomes of this project aim to support watershed resilience, improve forest health, and restore natural ecological variation.
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Sierra Eight Meadows Restoration
Trout Unlimited initiated the Sierra National Forest Bass Lake 8 Meadows Restoration Project in 2018, partnering with the North Fork Mono Tribe (NFMT). The NFMT has been managing their homeland for thousands of years, including ecological restoration in the Sierra National Forest since 1991. The project aims to restore eight degraded meadows in the Bass Lake Ranger District, with a focus on high-priority sites for the NFMT. The restoration involves removing encroached conifers, conducting fuels management around the meadows, and restoring instream conditions using woody structures. These efforts will expand the wet meadow perimeter and protect the sites from future wildfires. By summer 2023, Trout Unlimited and the NFMT successfully restored four meadows (Beehive, Benedict, Meserve, and Poison). Restoration of the remaining four meadows (China, Chipmunk, Peckinpah, and Texas Flat) is underway.
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Shea Island Habitat Restoration
The Shea Island Restoration Project, led by Chico State Enterprises in partnership with the Sacramento River Forum, aims to restore critical habitats for at-risk salmon populations in the upper Sacramento River Basin. The project will remove stranding pools, open historical channels, and restore a network of side channels on Shea Island to enhance juvenile salmonid rearing and spawning habitats. With an estimated 20 acres of juvenile habitat and 5 acres of spawning habitat, the project will also stabilize banks with large rocks and use removed vegetation to enhance instream habitat.
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San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Blue Goose Wetland Enhancement Project
Seasonal Wetlands in Central Valley California are important for flood control, water quality and access, and wild life habitat. They are a vital part of the Pacific Flyway, supporting 60% of California’s migratory birds. This project aims to replace dilapidated water control structures, remove unnecessary levees, and construct new swales to better manage Blue Goose Slough, a 60-acre wetland complex in the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. The goal is to manage the wetland as a semi-permanent or seasonally flooded hemi-marsh, depending on surface water availability. The improvements will also allow U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service staff to more efficiently irrigate and manage 215 acres of seasonally flooded areas. This project complements a recent North American Wetlands Conservation Act project on the nearby Triangle and Schwab Ponds.
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San Gabriel River Watershed Arundo Donax Implementation Program
The Council of Watershed Health, in partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation is working to remove four acres of arundo donax in high-priority target areas within the San Gabriel watershed to increase water availability in the basin and enhance native habitat. Additionally, the Council for Watershed Health will update its baseline survey to inform plans for removing more acreage of this highly invasive plant. This initiative is part of a larger statewide effort to eliminate this detrimental species.
Arundo donax, a giant cane plant, has been listed as one of the top 100 Worst Invaders of the World by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union. It proliferates along waterways across much of coastal and central California. Arundo has significant negative impacts on water availability, water quality, habitat, native species, fire regimes, and infrastructure, and it transpires water at a rate five times higher than native vegetation. -
Sacramento River Water Replenishment and Habitat Corridor Revitalization Project
This River Partners led project is expected to provide volumetric water benefits and a variety of co-benefits, including improved fish and wildlife habitat, reduced flood risk, and increased public access to nature for disadvantaged communities. The portfolio includes four floodplain restoration projects and six side channel restoration projects to collectively retire agricultural irrigation to conserve water and replenish freshwater ecosystems, enhance wildlife habitat that supports the potential downlisting of threatened or endangered species, and improve flood management.
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Rancho Caleta Habitat Restoration
River Partners is restoring 56 acres at their Rancho Caleta site in the Sacramento River Valley to restore native habitat and retire riparian water rights, dedicating 168 acre-feet of water annually to environmental purposes. The restoration will include planting over 12,700 native plants and creating a 5-acre swale to support salmon migration. This landscape-scale effort will improve water quality, floodplain inundation, and habitat for endangered species, with long-term plans for public access and potential tribal collaboration on land management.
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Mountain Meadow Habitat Restoration
Plumas Corporation is restoring 441 acres of meadow habitat at Mountain Meadows Creek in California to improve hydrological and ecosystem functions. The project will reconnect the creek to its historic floodplain, reduce erosion, and enhance wetland habitat for migrating birds and gray wolves. It will also address forest health through fuel reduction, reforestation, and the removal of conifer encroachment, ensuring resilience to future wildfires. These efforts aim to restore the balance of water flow, vegetation, and wildlife habitat in the area.
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Madera County Forage Crop Irrigation Project
Netafim Irrigation, Inc. is partnering with agricultural growers in Madera County, California, to transition 215 acres from flood to subsurface drip irrigation to address water scarcity exacerbated by climate change. The new drip system will efficiently irrigate a crop rotation of tomatoes and wheat, replacing high water-use crops like cotton and wheat under less efficient flood irrigation. This project will significantly reduce groundwater withdrawals while improving water delivery precision. The shift aligns with sustainable agricultural practices, supporting both local ecosystems and the resilience of California’s critical agricultural sector amidst increasing climate variability.
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Ladybug Project Forest Health
The Ladybug Forest Health Project, led by the National Forest Foundation (NFF), spans 2,500 acres in the Truckee Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest. Located near Stampede Reservoir, the project focuses on hazardous fuels reduction through forest thinning, biomass removal, and other treatments to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk. The project will improve water supply and quality by removing encroaching conifers, enhancing snowmelt infiltration, and restoring degraded roads in the Hoke Valley drainage. It is supported by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) and has catalyzed the Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership to address watershed restoration.
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Kern Plateau Meadows Restoration Project
The Kern Plateau Meadows Restoration Project aims to restore degraded meadow systems located in the headwaters of the Kern River and the Owens River in southern California. On the ground partners, Trout Unlimited, will utilize low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) techniques to restore the meadows that have been degraded by erosion and overgrazing. These techniques rely on hand-built structures made from local natural material to support the natural processes that a healthy meadow system provides. The long-term goal of the project is to restore natural processes that shape the land – such as erosion, sedimentation, and the movement of soil and rocks – as well as those that move and distribute water in the environment, including rainfall, river flow, groundwater movement, and the interactions between water, soil, and plants. Additionally, the project will enhance biotic processes, which involve the activities of living organisms, including plant growth, animal interactions, and nutrient cycling.
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Kapusta Island Habitat Restoration
Chico State Enterprises and the Sacramento River Forum are restoring habitat at Kapusta Island to support juvenile salmon. The project will create 2 acres of rearing habitat through the excavation of low and high flow side channels, while also enhancing 3 acres of spawning habitat. Monitoring and community engagement are key components of the project, which aims to aid salmon recovery in the Sacramento River.
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Fairmead Groundwater Resiliency Project
The Fairmead Groundwater Resiliency Project aims to address critical water challenges faced by the Fairmead community, an unincorporated and historically underserved area in California’s Central Valley. This initiative, led by Faimead community members and supported by Sustainable Conservation, combines groundwater recharge, agricultural land repurposing, and strong community engagement to secure clean, reliable, and affordable drinking water for residents while building climate resilience. Building on the progress of Phase 1, which developed foundational studies and conceptual designs, Phase 2 will focus on finalizing project designs, engaging community members, and securing funding for implementation. This collaborative effort seeks to demonstrate how integrated solutions can address groundwater depletion, climate adaptation, and community health in vulnerable regions.
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Ackerson Meadow Restoration Project
Ackerson Meadow is part of the largest mid-elevation meadow complex in Yosemite National Park, California. It is one of the largest mid-elevation montane meadows in public ownership in the Sierra Nevada and a critical biodiversity hotspot and wildlife corridor. Due to over a century of landscape manipulation, including domestic water diversion, farming, ranching, and timber harvest, wetlands within Ackerson Meadow have been lost and are continuing to be threatened.
In partnership with American Rivers, The restoration will re-establish the natural connection between the stream channel and the floodplain by slowing down the flow of water and spreading it out onto the floodplain surface and encouraging sediment deposition. The project is the largest ‘full fill’ meadow restoration attempted in the Sierra Nevada to date, with the promise of restoring biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem of the Sierra Nevada.
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Carmichael Water District La Sierra ASR Well Rehabilitation Project
The Carmichael Water District aims to equip a new well with aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) capability to enhance groundwater sustainability. Completed in 2023, the well will store treated drinking water during wet periods, helping to recharge the aquifer and provide a reliable water supply during dry years. This project will improve water supply reliability for over half a million residents in the Sacramento region, reduce emergency response impacts, and support the health of the American River ecosystem, benefiting the larger Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin.
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Arundo Removal in the Los Angeles Watershed Falls Creek
The Council for Watershed Health (CWH) is targeting the removal of Arundo donax, a high-water use invasive plant, in the Falls Creek area of the Devil’s Canyon subwatershed to conserve water and restore native habitat. By removing 2.4 acres of Arundo, the project will save 48 acre-feet of water annually and prevent further expansion downstream into the Los Angeles River. This effort will improve water availability, reduce fire risks, and support the re-establishment of native vegetation, enhancing both water quality and habitat for local wildlife.
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Arundo Removal in the Los Angeles River Watershed Box Canyon and Chatsworth Nature Preserve
The Council for Watershed Health will remove 3.25 acres of Arundo donax from targeted stream sites within the Los Angeles River watershed, specifically in the West Valley areas of Box Canyon, Chatsworth Lake Manor, and Chatsworth Nature Preserve. This invasive species removal will help improve water availability, enhance habitat for native wildlife, and reduce fire risks by eliminating dense Arundo stands.
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Arundo Donax Removal in the Los Angeles Watershed Sepulveda and Porter Ranch
The Council for Watershed Health is implementing a project to remove Arundo donax, an invasive species severely impacting California’s waterways and biodiversity. Focused on the Los Angeles River basin, with targeted removal in Porter Ranch and Sepulveda Basin, the project will reduce excess evapotranspiration of water and mitigate downstream ecological damage. Removal methods include biomass removal and targeted herbicide application, followed by monitoring and passive revegetation to support native species recovery. This effort aligns with California’s 30×30 Conservation Plan and LA County’s Integrated Water Resources Management goals to enhance riparian habitats and protect threatened species.