Links in this blog:
Water Deeply
Modern Flows for the Sacramento Valley
Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director and Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall recently wrote a compelling op-ed in Water Deeply that “Floodplains Adjacent to the Sacramento River Should Be Nature’s Pantry.” Mr. Hall’s thesis is that “it is vitally important that we allow the food produced in the floodplain, along with healthy growth of fish, to provide much needed biological relief and support the sustainability of our rivers. This can only occur by having water available for the floodplain and encouraging water users and managers involved with the Central Valley’s water to provide functional and targeted flows that are directly tailored for specific purposes and benefits to nature’s pantry.”
His thoughts are part of the evolving science that seems to be coalescing around the importance of spreading water out and slowing it down in the traditional floodplain. In the Sacramento Valley, serving water for the floodplain can provide multiple-benefits for birds, fish, other species and groundwater recharge. “The provision of this water and the habitat values it provides is reliant upon the ability of Sacramento Valley water districts and companies to divert and deliver surface water resources year-round in accordance with their contracts and water rights.”
