The Floodplains Reimagined Multi-Benefit Feasibility Study (Project) will evaluate the feasibility of reintroducing low flows onto the flood system footprint in the Butte Sink, Sutter Bypass, and Colusa Basin during the winter months to reactivate historical floodplains for habitat benefits. The geographic scope of the project is immense, encompassing 600 square miles of flood basins adjacent to the Sacramento River. Efforts include investigating the feasibility of potential actions that include modifications to existing weirs and/or other water control infrastructure, as well as water management that is intended to increase the frequency that rivers to connect their historical floodplains. 

Reclamation District 108 (RD108) has enlisted two teams of specialists, with Verdantas overseeing the technical team of the San Francisco Estuary Institute, Cramer Fish Sciences, and Point Blue. This team is tasked with evaluating the potential impacts and benefits of various enhancement options: including assessments of hydrodynamics and floodplain inundation, flood conveyance, juvenile salmon rearing habitat, fish food production potential, fish passage, waterfowl habitat, shorebird habitat, crane habitat, agricultural compatibility, waterfowl hunting impacts, and wetland management impacts. Significant tasks to date consist of extensive field data collection, concept development, hydrodynamic modeling, ecological modeling, habitat suitability analysis, options formulation and evaluation, technical assistance, and stakeholder outreach. The implementation team consisted of multiple consultants and required effective and efficient coordination and collaboration between team members and the client. The project is funded by Proposition 68 through the California Natural Resources Agency’s Protecting California’s Rivers, Streams and Watersheds grant program and the Floodplain Forward Coalition via a funding agreement with the US Bureau of Reclamation.