The Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), section 3406 (b)(13) directs the Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop and implement a continuing program for the purpose of restoring and replenishing, as needed, salmonid spawning gravel lost due to the construction and operation of Central Valley Project dams and other actions that have reduced the availability of spawning gravel and rearing habitat in the Sacramento River from Keswick Dam to Red Bluff Diversion Dam.

The CVPIA Sacramento River Restoration Team is an interagency group with members including Reclamation, The Sacramento River Forum, Department of Water Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, the Resource Conservation District of Tehama County, and the State Water Resources Control Board. The SRRT was formed to provide technical support in the development of future spawning and rearing habitat restoration projects in the Sacramento River.

The East Sand Slough Side Channel Reconnection Project has created nearly two consecutive miles of restored juvenile salmon habitat along the Sacramento River.

Learn more about the East Sand Slough Side Channel Project here. 

The Rio Vista Side Channel Project is a rearing habitat restoration and enhancement project. The purpose of the Project is to create a functional lower side channel to provide additional rearing habitat for winter-run juvenile Chinook salmonids as well as other species. Fry emergence occurs during the fall, when typical flows in the Sacramento River are reduced significantly at the end of the irrigation season, which can cause stranding issues as well as reducing prime rearing habitat for juveniles.

This Project is included in the film short, Side Channels: Safeguarding Salmon,  which debuted at the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival On-Tour, Red Bluff on March 25, 2023. 

The Lake California Side Channel Restoration Project was a rearing habitat restoration and enhancement project. The purpose of the Lake California Side Channel Project was to create a functional side channel at lower flows to provide additional rearing habitat for winter-run juvenile salmonids as well as other species. Once spawning occurs and the eggs have hatched, the flows in the Sacramento River are reduced significantly, which can cause stranding issues as well as reducing prime rearing habitat for juveniles. The historical side channel still persists today but has been in need of improvement. Throughout the side channel, fine sediment has accumulated and built up, reducing the capacity of the channel. This project removed sediment at the entrance, allowing more water to enter the side channel, in order to give the channel the opportunity to adjust itself and flush out the fine sediment. 

This Project is included in the film short, Side Channels: Safeguarding Salmon,  which debuted at the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival On-Tour, Red Bluff on March 25, 2023.