The Water Forum has been awarded more than $10.6 million in competitive federal funding to enhance habitat for salmon and steelhead in the lower American River while expanding the scientific research and monitoring that help inform future river management decisions. Photo designed by Magnific

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) — The Water Forum has been awarded more than $10.6 million in competitive federal funding to enhance habitat for salmon and steelhead in the lower American River while expanding the scientific research and monitoring that help inform future river management decisions.

“The lower American River is one of our region's greatest natural resources,” Executive Director of the Water Forum, Ashlee Casey said. “This funding allows us to continue enhancing habitat for salmon and steelhead while using science to better understand what these fish need to survive and thrive. That knowledge helps us make better decisions that benefit the river, the fish that depend on it and the communities that rely on the river.”

The largest award—$10 million—will support the long-term maintenance, monitoring and enhancement of habitat enhancement sites that the Water Forum has implemented along the lower American River over the past two decades.

“River habitat isn't static,” Water Forum Habitat and Science Program Manager, Erica Bishop said. “High flows, shifting gravel, vegetation growth and other natural processes continually reshape the lower American River. What makes the Water Forum's program unique is that we continue monitoring these sites over time and use what we learn to make targeted habitat enhancements that provide the greatest benefit for salmon and steelhead.”

The project will also monitor how salmon and steelhead use enhanced habitat. It will also map the river corridor using advanced sonar and LiDAR technology to identify future habitat enhancement opportunities. And conduct scientific studies to better understand how habitat enhancement influences fish survival and reproduction.

The second award—$627,835—will fund a major new study of Central Valley steelhead in the lower American River.

“Steelhead are much more difficult to study than salmon because their behavior and life cycles vary considerably and they are fewer in number,” Bishop said. “This study will help answer important questions about how steelhead grow, move through the river, survive and return to spawn.”

The findings will help scientists and resource managers make more informed decisions to protect this species that is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Acts. The study will complement similar research on the Stanislaus River, providing valuable comparisons between steelhead populations north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The awards build on more than two decades of collaboration under the Water Forum Agreement and support implementation of the Water Forum 2050 Agreement, which strengthens the region's commitment to habitat enhancement, scientific monitoring and collaborative solutions that protect the lower American River while supporting long-term water supply reliability.

The awards, announced by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, include two of only 10 projects selected statewide through the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. The Water Forum received one of just four habitat enhancement awards and one of six scientific research awards funded this year.

Funding is provided through the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. The steelhead study grant will be administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, while the habitat enhancement grant will be administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.