Restoring ecology and protecting community
Watershed in the Balance
Deer Creek is one of only three streams in the Central Valley that still supports a viable wild population of spring-run Chinook salmon. The Creek has also been home to a thriving agricultural and ranching community for decades. Over time, flood protection infrastructure for the community and habitat conditions for salmon have degraded. The challenge of balancing the needs of both the salmon and the local community have made it hard to identify and fund a solution.
Flood Protection meets Salmon Habitat
FlowWest is addressing both concerns with the Lower Deer Creek Flood and Ecosystem Improvement Project. The solution includes raising and setting back levees to reduce flooding and provide more and better connected floodplain habitat, bank stabilization, flood easements, as well as bridge and diversion structure improvements. Together, these elements will provide the local community with the flood protection they need while increasing the amount and quality of salmon habitat - a win-win!
Open Data = Transparent Communication
Our team has been regularly meeting with community members in the Deer Creek watershed, resource agencies, and state government to identify solutions and build consensus for the project. To make more information available and accessible to all parties, we have created web-based data portals and tools to openly communicate project elements, hydraulic modeling output, and other important information about the project and its anticipated benefits.
Completion of this project relies on our skills in working collaboratively with stakeholders to
navigate complex natural resource management challenges.
Click here to view FlowWest’s data visualization and planning app.
