Bay-Delta Office

Water Operations and Watershed Monitoring Technical Teams

Photo Credit: Ben Nelson

Consistent with the Proposed Action of the 2019 Final Biological Assessment for Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, Reclamation and DWR are convening Watershed Monitoring Workgroups for each of the Upper Sacramento, American, Delta, and Stanislaus watersheds (“Watershed Monitoring Workgroups”). Each of the Watershed Monitoring Workgroups will be responsible for real-time synthesis of fisheries monitoring information and providing recommendations on scheduling specific volumes of water as specified in the Proposed Action. The Delta Monitoring Workgroup shall be responsible for integrating species information across watersheds, including Delta Smelt and Winter-run Chinook, and other salmonids and sturgeon. In addition to Delta Watershed Monitoring Workgroup, the program may include a Smelt Monitoring and Salmonid Monitoring Teams. The Watershed Monitoring Workgroups will include technical representatives from federal and state agencies and stakeholders and will provide information to Reclamation and DWR on species abundance, species distribution, life stage transitions, and relevant physical parameters.

December 2024 Meeting Note

The Bureau of Reclamation’s real-time operations teams including the Salmon Monitoring Team, Smelt Monitoring Team, Delta Monitoring Group, American River Group, and Sacramento River Temperature Task Group have decided, with permission from Bureau of Reclamation management, not to hold the regular meetings on December 24 and December 31, 2024. The weekly Operations Outlook will continue to be updated. This decision was approved contingent on stable environmental conditions that would not pose an elevated risk to listed species and due to the trigger of the First Flush action on 12/26/2024 which provides the maximum protections for listed species as outlined in the state ITP.

Real-time operations teams will still share relevant environmental information via email and if necessary, convene to discuss and assess risk to listed species.

• American River Group
• Clear Creek Technical Team
• Delta Monitoring Work Group
• Sacramento River Temperature Task Group and Upper Sacramento River Scheduling Team (pre-2025)
• Sacramento River Temperature and Flow Technical Group (formerly SRTTG)
• Salmon Monitoring Team
• Smelt Monitoring Team
• Stanislaus Watershed Team
• Water Operations Management Team
• Water Year 2025

 

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