Colusa Basin Watershed Assessment

The Colusa County RCD has been granted funding through the Department of Water Resources (DWR) as an implementing agency for the CALFED Bay Delta Watershed Program grant under the Water Security, Clean Drinking Waters, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002 (Proposition 50) for developing and implementing the Colusa Basin Watershed Assessment.

The Colusa Basin Watershed (Basin) envelopes the upper portion of Yolo County, the majority of Colusa County, and the southern part of Glenn County with all the major tributaries draining into the Bay Delta in one way or another.

The Colusa Basin Watershed Assessment will primarily be characterized as a "current conditions report", and will help to illustrate where there are information gaps, what changes have occurred in the basin, why these changes happened, if they were good changes or bad changes, land use patterns, social characteristics, and more. The consulting firm H.T. Harvey and Associates is currently working on the information gathering process for the Assessment. The idea is, not to reinvent the wheel, but to make it more functional. The purpose of the assessment is to produce a working document that will assist local stakeholders in making informed land management decisions that will improve the holistic health of the watershed.

CCRCD has begun work on creating a Management Plan for the Colusa Basin Watershed. First steps will include forming a Technical Advisory Committee and Citizens Advisory Group. Any interested parties should contact Mary Fahey at the Colusa County RCD by email: mary.fahey@ca.usda.gov or phone: 530.458.2931 X117

Links

• Click HERE to view the CCRCD's Colusa Basin Watershed website.
• Click HERE for project updates.
• Click HERE to download the Colusa Basin Watershed Assessment Final Report.

Colusa Basin Watershed Streambank Analysis

Following the completion of the Colusa Basin Watershed Assessment, a Streambank Analysis study was begun on 36 foothill streams in the watershed. These streams were mapped for erosion potential, riparian habitat quality and invasive species infestation. Next, 24 critical management reaches were selected that showed potential for restoration projects.

The purpose of the Streambank Analysis study is to fill in some of the data gaps from the Watershed Assessment by defining areas along streams in the Colusa Basin Watershed that would benefit most from restoration projects. These projects will ultimately improve the overall health of the Watershed and quality of water flowing into the Bay Delta from Colusa County streams.

The final report and maps can be viewed below. Click on the headings to download the report and maps you would like to review. Files are in pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Please send comments/questions to Mary Fahey at the Colusa County RCD by email: mary.fahey@ca.usda.gov or phone: 530.458.2931 ext 117

Links

• Click HERE to view the CCRCD's streambank analysis website.