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Title	Operation Baseline Project 2B: Phytoplankton, CSU Maritime Academy
Lead	California State University Maritime Academy
Description	Planned upgrades to the Sacramento Regional wastewater treatment plant (Regional San) between 2019 and 2021 will reduce total nitrogen inputs by >60% and shift the dominant form of nitrogen entering the Delta from ammonium (NH4) to nitrate (NO3). These changes will affect the Delta in ways unforeseeable with existing knowledge. The focus of this project is to quantify the links between wastewater nitrogen and phytoplankton standing stock, community composition and carbon and nitrogen production. Working in collaboration with the other two Operation Baseline projects, we will: 1. validate in situ monitoring approaches for phytoplankton standing stock and community composition (i.e. using size-fractionated chlorophyll-a and diagnostic phytopigments via HPLC) and 2. provide estimates of ambient and nitrogen-saturated phytoplankton NH4 and NO3 uptake rates as well as C uptake. Phytoplankton N and C uptake rates will be made along spatial gradients in nitrogen and water residence time (Task 1) and in three wetland habitats with varying influence from wastewater nitrogen (Task 3). Together with the other proposals, this project will provide much needed baseline characterization of nutrient processes in the Delta prior to Regional San upgrades.
Science topics	Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
Updated	December 14, 2022

Title	Operation Baseline Project 2C: Zooplankton, Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU
Lead	San Francisco State University [SFSU]
Description	This project will examine responses of zooplankton (copepods) to variations in the foodweb attributable to nutrient sources. At each wetland site we will determine spatial abundance patterns and rates of reproduction, growth, and mortality. These will be integrated with information on phytoplankton and physical dynamics to determine how population dynamics responds to nutrient conditions. Stable isotopes will be used to assess nutrient source contributions to growth.
Science topics	Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
Updated	December 14, 2022

Title	Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration Project works to reconnect the floodplain for fish during the winter season and improve connectivity within the bypass and to the Sacramento River. The project provides seasonal inundation that mimics the natural process of the Yolo Bypass floodplain and improves connectivity within the bypass and to the Sacramento River.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Endangered species, Green sturgeon, Habitat restoration, Salmon migration, Salmon rearing, Steelhead Trout, Sturgeon, White Sturgeon
Updated	July 22, 2024

Title	Yolo Bypass Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage: Scenario Analysis of Fremont Weir Notch – Integration of Engineering Designs, Telemetry, and Flow Fields
Lead	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USACE]
Description	This study analyzes 12 notch scenarios in the Fremont Weir in terms of entrainment of juvenile salmon. The goal is to quantify the relative entrainment rates (between 0 and 1) across the suite of scenarios and to identify possible strategies for enhancing entrainment outcomes. This study does not predict future entrainment as models generally do not predict future outcomes so much as highlight trends
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Endangered species, Water conveyance / infrastructure
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Do light, nutrient, and salinity interactions drive the “bad Suisun” phenomenon? A physiological assessment of biological hotspots in the San Francisco Bay-Delta
Lead	University of California - Santa Cruz [UCSC]
Description	This project assessed the physiological basis for reduced phytoplankton growth in Suisun Bay, prior to the major upgrade at the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP), which is responsible for 90% of the nitrogen released into the bay. The work involved analyzing almost three decades of historical eld data from the bay-delta and using it to build a model to evaluate environmental drivers of phytoplankton biomass. Discoveries from the eld data were then tested through laboratory culturing experiments. By illuminating the interacting e ects of bottom- up drivers (light, nutrients, salinity) on phytoplankton, this research helps provide a fundamental understanding of this complex ecosystem.
Science topics	Ammonia, Flushing rates, Light, Open water, Pelagic fish, Phytoplankton, Salinity, Wastewater discharge, Water temperature
Updated	November 17, 2022

Title	Simulating methylmercury production and transport at the sediment-water interface to improve the water quality in the Delta
Lead	University of California - Merced [UC Merced]
Description	The aim of this project was to improve basic knowledge of mercury cycling and aid management of net methylmercury production in the delta by developing a kinetic-thermodynamic reaction model that describes and quantifies mercury cycling in delta sediments. The model was used to assess uncertainties and estimate methylation and demethylation rates — the processes by which methylmercury is produced and breaks down. In addition, the project examined coupling of mercury cycling with cycling of iron, sulfur, and manganese.
Science topics	Bioaccumulation, Chemistry, Hg and methyl mercury
Updated	November 17, 2022

Title	Operation Baseline Project 1: Conceptual Framework
Lead	Delta Stewardship Council
Description	A multidisciplinary team will develop a thorough conceptual model that will describe current conditions and consider changes from the WWTP upgrade. The model will be used to identify the highest priority science questions and investigations to pursue before, during, and after the plant upgrade.
Science topics	Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
Updated	December 14, 2022

Title	Operation Baseline Project 2A1: USGS Pilot Studies
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	Two pilot studies were funded to establish a baseline in open water and shallow wetland habitats prior to the WWTP upgrade. Study 1: Nutrient concentrations, transformation rates, and links to the foodweb. Study 2: Method to improve monitoring using fixed stations coupled with high-speed boat measurements
Science topics	Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
Updated	December 14, 2022

Title	Operation Baseline Project 2A2: USGS Pilot Studies - Isotopes
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	Evaluate the usefulness of stable isotopes to trace nutrients form effluent water
Science topics	Algae, Floating aquatic vegetation, Food webs, Nitrogen and ammonia, Open water, Other discharge contaminants, Phytoplankton, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Wastewater discharge, Water operations / exports, Wetlands, Zooplankton
Updated	December 14, 2022

Title	Discrete dissolved oxygen monitoring in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Dissolved oxygen levels in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Chanel (SDWSC) have been monitored since 1968 by the Interagency Ecological Program's (IEP) Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP). The SDWSC is located on the San Joaquin River near Stockton, California. Beginning in 1997, 14 stations were routinely monitored typically in summer and fall. Dissolved oxygen impairment can occur in the SDWSC;therefore, two water quality objectives were established.
Science topics	Chlorophyll A B, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Main channels, Conductivity
Updated	May 20, 2024

Title	Phytoplankton and Chlorophyll-a Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	The California DWR Phytoplankton and Chlorophyll-a monitoring measures the composition (what kinds?), abundance (how many?), diversity (how many kinds?), and distribution (where are they?) of phytoplankton. It also measures phytoplankton biomass as chlorophyll-a;both types of monitoring are performed as part of the IEPâ€™s Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP).
Science topics	Chlorophyll A B, Phytoplankton, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Main channels, Conductivity
Updated	May 20, 2024

Title	Middle Sacramento River Salmon and Steelhead Rotary Screw Trap Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	CDFG uses Rotary Screw Traps (RST) sampling to quantify emigrating juvenile salmonids by counting the number of fish captured within a known volume of water passing through the RSTs over time. Regular trapping is implemented and reported from Tisdale Weir and Knights Landing. These are the primary sources of data for salmon emigrating from the Sacramento River. There are approximately 30 other RSTs that operate in California, but these two are the prominent and consistent Sacramento River traps.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Water temperature, Turbidity, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Coleman and Livingston Stone Hatchery Releases
Lead	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
Description	The federal hatcheries mark and tag fish that are released into the river or bay using a combination of coded wire tags (CWT) and adipose fin clipping. The number of fish tagged and the identifiers are reported to the RMPC which is part of the RMIS. The Regional Mark Processing Center (RMPC) provides essential services to international, state, federal, and tribal fisheries organizations involved in marking anadromous salmonids throughout the Pacific region. These services include regional coordination of some tagging and fin marking programs, maintenance of databases for Coded Wire Tag Releases, Recoveries, and Locations, as well as the dissemination of reports of these data in electronic or printed form when requested. These databases are known collectively as the Regional Mark Information System (RMIS).
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Conductivity, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Steelhead Trout, Turbidity, Water temperature
Updated	June 26, 2025

Title	Telemetered Stream Gauge Stations [Surface Water Monitoring]
Lead	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Description	A network of stream gauges record and telemeter river stage information. Flow measurements by field crews help calibrate and confirm calculations. Data from stream gage telemetry requires careful consideration as field conditions and equipment malfunctions can provide erroneous readings. A more accurate assessment of actual flow rates requires a review of the flow record and processing to account for actual conditions.
Science topics	Water operations / exports, Water conveyance / infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Flood, Main channels, Sloughs
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Central Valley Angler Survey
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	CDFW uses a stratified sampling design to interview anglers and check catches in the Delta and throughout the Sacramento system. Focus of the program is on salmonids, but they also record striped bass and sturgeon data, as available.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Fish
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery
Lead	East Bay Municipal Utilities District
Description	The Mokelumne River supports Central Valley fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (fall-run), which is the only salmon run known to naturally occur in this waterway (Clark 1929). Fall-run are listed as a Species of Concern under the federal Endangered Species Act (NMFS 2004). Camanche Dam, which impounds Camanche Reservoir is the upper limit of anadromous fish migration in the Mokelumne River. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) initiated construction of Camanche Reservoir in 1963. As mitigation for blocking access to spawning grounds for salmonids, EBMUD provided funding for the original construction of the MOK in 1964.The MOK is located on the south bank of the Mokelumne River at the base of Camanche Dam. While EBMUD provides funding for fall-run production, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) administers and operates the hatchery. The Commercial Salmon Stamp Fund provided funding for an additional MOK building built in 2002 and continues to financially support the MOK. On an annual basis the MOK produces fall-run for mitigation (Mitigation Element) and for ocean salmon enhancement (Ocean Enhancement Element). The annual MOK production goal is 6,400,000 fall-run smolts (3,400,000 for Mitigation Element and 3,000,000 for Ocean Enhancement Element). The hatchery operations are involved with tagging and monitoring fish to assess the success of the hatchery program.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Main channels, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	National Wetland Condition Assessment [NWCA]
Lead	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA]
Description	The National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) is a statistical survey that begins to address some of the gaps in our understanding of wetland health by providing information on the ecological condition of the nationâ€™s wetlands and stressors most commonly associated with poor condition. The NWCA is designed to answer basic questions about the extent to which our nationâ€™s wetlands support healthy ecological conditions and the prevalence of key stressors at the national and regional scale. It is intended to complement and build upon the achievements of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wetland Status and Trends Program, which characterizes changes in wetland acreage across the conterminous United States. Paired together, these two efforts provide government agencies, wetland scientists, and the public with comparable, scientifically-defensible information documenting the current status and, ultimately, trends in both wetland quantity (i.e., area) and quality (i.e., ecological condition).
Science topics	Fishing, Surface water flow, Groundwater, Tides, Flood, Drought, Nitrogen and ammonia, Phosphorous, Chlorophyll A B, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Other zooplankton, Suspended sediment, Chemistry, Toxicity, Salinity, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Hg and methyl mercury, Other discharge contaminants, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Pelagic fish, Benthos, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Other species, Fish, Invertebrates, Fecal coliform E coli
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Landsat Science Program
Lead	Goddard Space Flight Center
Description	Multispectral earth imaging satellite acquires data for earth observation. Numerous applications and extensive history of success with environmental and land use programs.
Science topics	Levees, Dredging, Forest harvesting, Agriculture, Urban development, Roads and bridges, Rail lines, Docks and ports, Surface water flow, Groundwater, Stage, Direction, Tides, Residence time, Waves, Flood, Drought, Wildfire, Harmful algal blooms HAB, Phytoplankton, Suspended sediment, Turbidity, Mudflats, Intertidal and transition zones, Above highwater refugia, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Floating aquatic vegetation, Seasonally flooded, Open water, Managed ponds, Riparian wildlife, Forests, Non forested vegetation, Delta islands, Pacific flyway, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, Habitat, Energy and mines, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring - Red Bluff Diversion Dam
Lead	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]
Description	The Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office (RBFWO) established a juvenile fish monitoring program using rotary-screw traps at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam (RBDD) in 1994. The primary objectives of this project at present are to (1) obtain juvenile winter Chinook production indices and to correlate these indices with estimated escapement from adult estimates provided by the winter Chinook carcass survey, (2) define seasonal and temporal patterns of abundance of winter, spring, fall and late-fall run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout passing RBDD and (3) obtain relative abundance information (catch per unit volume) for green sturgeon and lamprey to monitor trends in abundance.
Science topics	Water conveyance / infrastructure, Surface water flow, Stage, Velocity, Water temperature, Turbidity, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, Water intakes, fish screens & passage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Summer Townet Survey
Lead	California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
Description	The Summer Townet (STN) Survey was initiated in 1959 to determine relative distribution and abundance of young of the year (age-0) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Delta. To predict fishery recruitment, the survey calculates an index to measure age-0 striped bass year class strength. This index is based on abundance when age-0 striped bass attain a mean length of 38.1 mm. In contrast, the delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) index is the average of the first two survey indices. The delta smelt index was developed about 1990 in response to declining delta smelt abundance. It has proven valuable in gauging the health of the estuary;delta smelt abundance trend data was used as supporting evidence for their listing as threatened in 1992 under the Federal and State Endangered Species Acts. It appears that zooplankton data are also collected.
Science topics	Mysis, Other zooplankton, Main channels, Sloughs, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Green sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Delta Smelt, Longfin Smelt, Sacramento Splittail, Striped bass, Fish
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Yolo Bypass Fish Monitoring
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has operated a fisheries monitoring program in the Yolo Bypass, a seasonal floodplain and tidal slough, since 1998. The objectives of the Yolo Bypass Fish Monitoring Program (YBFMP) are to: (1) collect baseline data on lower trophic levels (phytoplankton, zooplankton, and aquatic insects), juvenile fish and adult fish, hydrology, and water quality parameters;(2) investigation of the temporal and seasonal patterns in chlorophyll-a concentrations, including whether high concentrations are exported from the Bypass during agricultural and natural flow events and the possibility of manipulating bypass flows to benefit listed species like Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The YBFMP operates a rotary screw trap and fyke trap, and conducts biweekly beach seine and lower trophic surveys in addition to maintaining water quality instrumentation in the bypass. The YBFMP serves to fill information gaps regarding environmental conditions in the bypass that trigger migrations and enhanced survival and growth of native fishes, as well as provide data for IEP synthesis efforts.
Science topics	Chinook Salmon, Chlorophyll A B, Conductivity, Delta Smelt, Direction, Dissolved oxygen, Endangered species, Fish, Flood, Food webs, Green sturgeon, Habitat, Habitat restoration, Insects, Intertidal and transition zones, Invasive and non native species, Invertebrates, Longfin Smelt, Main channels, Nitrogen, Nitrogen and ammonia, Nutrients, Other species, Other zooplankton, Pelagic fish, pH, Phytoplankton, Primary production, Sacramento Splittail, Salmon migration, Salmon rearing, Saltwater and freshwater marshes, SAV and FAV, Seasonally flooded, Solar irradiance, Stage, Steelhead Trout, Striped bass, Sturgeon, Submerged aquatic vegetation, Surface water flow, Tides, Turbidity, Velocity, Water, Water temperature, Wetlands, White Sturgeon, Zooplankton
Updated	August 28, 2024

Title	Periodic Groundwater Level Measurements
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Since 2009, the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program has tracked seasonal and long-term groundwater elevation trends in groundwater basins statewide. The program's mission is to establish a permanent, locally-managed program of regular and systematic monitoring in all of California's alluvial groundwater basins. This early attempt to monitor groundwater continues to exist as a tool to help achieve the goals set out under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Senate Bill x7-6, passed by the legislature in 2009, established collaboration between local monitoring parties and DWR to collect statewide groundwater elevations, to be made available to the public. In response to the law, we developed the CASGEM program. Collecting and evaluating these groundwater data on a statewide scale is a fundamental step toward improving management of California's groundwater resources. The CASGEM program relies and builds upon the many previously established local long-term groundwater monitoring and management programs. Our role is to coordinate the CASGEM program, to work cooperatively with local entities, and to maintain the collected elevation data in a readily and widely available public database.
Science topics	Groundwater, Flood
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Water Quality of San Francisco Bay
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	This website provides information about the following components of water quality: salinity, temperature, suspended particulate matter, dissolved oxygen, light penetration, and chlorophyll concentration. These parameters are measured using a submersible instrument package called a CTD. This program complements the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) for the San Francisco Bay/Delta Ecosystem.
Science topics	Solar irradiance, Chlorophyll A B, Suspended sediment, Salinity, Water temperature, Dissolved oxygen, Other discharge contaminants, Main channels
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Atmospheric River Reconnaissance
Lead	University of California - San Diego [UCSD]
Description	CW3E works directly with water managers in the West to develop science and tools designed to better prepare for the variability inherent in the western US climate. Atmospheric River (AR) Reconnaissance (AR Recon) campaigns support improved prediction of landfalling ARs on the U.S. west coast. ARs are a type of storm that is key to the region's precipitation, flooding, and water supply. Forecasts of landfalling ARs are critical to precipitation prediction and yet are in error by +/- 400 km at even just 3-day lead time (see figure to the right;Wick et al. 2013). The concept for AR Recon was first recommended in a report to the Western States Water Council (Ralph et al. 2014) that was prepared by a broad cross-disciplinary group in 2013. AR Recon was conducted with 3 missions in 2016, 6 in 2018, and 6 in 2019. USACE and the California Department of Water Resources were key sponsors of the AR Recon 2018 and 2019 campaigns. Aircraft that are normally used for hurricane reconnaissance were deployed over the northeast Pacific to collect observations to support improved AR forecasts. The data were assimilated by global modeling centers in real-time.
Science topics	Flood, Air temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Extreme storms, Chinook Salmon, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service - Precipitation Monitoring
Lead	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
Description	"Observed" data is a byproduct of National Weather Service (NWS) operations at the 12 CONUS River Forecast Centers (RFCs), and is displayed as a gridded field with a spatial resolution of roughly 4x4 km. "Normal" precipitation is derived from PRISM climate data, created at Oregon State University. The PRISM gridded climate maps are considered the most detailed, highest-quality spatial climate datasets currently available. The 30 year PRISM normal from 1981-2010 is used for precipitation analysis since 2004. Prior to 2004 the 30 year PRISM normal from 1961-1990 is used.
Science topics	Surface water flow, Groundwater, Precipitation, Stormwater runoff and drainage
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Streamflow Monitoring
Lead	U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]
Description	The USGS works in partnership with more than 1,400 Federal, regional, State, Tribal, and local agencies or organizations to maintain and manage a multipurpose network of streamgages that monitor streamflow and (or) water level. Approximately 8,200 of the more than 10,000 USGS streamgages in the network continuously monitor streamflow year-round and are collectively referred to as the National 'Streamflow' Network (NSN). Approximately 40% of the NSN is made up of Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS), which are considered critical for long-term tracking and modeling/forecasting to ensure that Federal water priorities and responsibilities can be met. Such priorities and responsibilities include forecasting hydrologic events (floods and droughts);managing interstate agreements, compacts, court decrees, and other legal obligations;and tracking streamflow in major river basins and across borders.
Science topics	Water operations / exports, Water storage, Water conveyance / infrastructure, Wastewater discharge, Surface water flow, Stage, Velocity, Direction, Flood, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Stormwater runoff and drainage, Water use and demand
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	California Cooperative Snow Surveys [CCSS] program
Lead	California Department of Water Resource [DWR]
Description	Established in 1929 by the California Legislature, the California Cooperative Snow Surveys (CCSS) program is a partnership of more than 50 state, federal, and private agencies. The cooperating agencies not only share a pool of expert staff but share in funding the program, which collects, analyzes and disseminates snow data from more than 265 snow courses and 130 snow sensors located throughout the Sierra Nevada and Shasta-Trinity mountains. California is the only western state to perform this function on its own. In the other western states, snow surveys are done by the federally funded Natural Resources Conservation Service, which began its program in the mid-1930s. Both programs are similar, and there is a high degree of cooperation between the two entities. DWR is the lead agency in coordinating the CCSS program, which includes: -Maintaining snow surveying and sampling equipment -Training for our partner agencies -Course measurement schedules and data collection -Fiscal and staff resource needs for the various partners within the program. While monitoring doesn't occur in the Delta, snowmelt estimates are used to develop streamflow forecasts for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers that flow through the Delta.
Science topics	Water storage, Surface water flow, Flood, Air temperature, Precipitation, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Seasonally flooded, Riparian wildlife, Snowpack and snow water equivalent SWE
Updated	April 29, 2022

Title	Evaluating contributions of hatchery-origin fish to conservation of endangered Sacramento River winter run Chinook salmon during a drought
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	Hatchery-reared fish have been used to supplement endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the upper Sacramento River since 1989. Intense drought in the past five years has led fisheries managers to substantially modify their hatchery protocols, increasing the total number of fish released and using hatchery-origin adults for producing juveniles. However, the impact of these practices is not fully understood. This project evaluated multiple aspects of how hatchery–reared fish contribute to natural production of winter-run Chinook salmon in the upper Sacramento River. The researchers assessed whether hatchery-reared fish are spawning in the wild and producing natural-origin offspring using a novel panel of genetic markers developed during the study. The study also assessed if inadvertent domestication selection was occurring in the hatchery during the drought years and if more highly related hatchery broodstock pairings returned fewer offspring than less related pairs.
Science topics	Drought
Updated	February 1, 2024

Title	Analyzing flow regime effects on adult green sturgeon migration in Central California rivers: Science and policy
Lead	University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
Description	The Sacramento River and its tributaries serve as critical habitat for the green sturgeon, listed as federally threatened due to its declining population and the impacts of anthropogenic activities such as dam operations and water extraction. We currently lack an understanding of the relationship between flow regimes and sturgeon migration, which is essential for developing effective management strategies to support the species' conservation and for required analysis under state and federal law. By modeling this relationship, this project will contribute to more informed water management, leading to fewer litigation risks for agencies and better outcomes for sturgeon. This project will model the effects of flow regimes on adult Southern Distinct Population Segment (sDPS) green sturgeon migration within the Sacramento River basin to enhance sturgeon conservation and water management. Specifically, the research will model how flows and temperature affect adult green sturgeon spawning migration. The model will be used to forecast sturgeon movements under various flow scenarios, and the model, the results, and an explanation of their significance will be widely distributed via a website (with a publicly accessible modeling app), a policy brief, a public workshop, and other outreach.
Science topics	Flows, Green sturgeon
Updated	July 16, 2025

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