In 2020, the Yolo County Resource Conservation District (YCRCD) was awarded a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board Stream Flow Enhancement Program (Proposition 1 funding) to control giant reed (Arundo donax) in the Putah-Cache watershed. This plant uses five times as much water as other plants, is highly flammable, can drive landscape flooding and erosion and provides almost no wildlife habitat. Removing it from our creeks and sloughs will free up more water for wildlife and agriculture and improve overall watershed function.
We will be working with our partners at the Solano Resource Conservation District, the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, the Cache Creek Conservancy and the Putah Creek Council to control arundo and do restoration on some sites as needed.
Project goals are to:
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- Improve water reliability
- Improve the amount, timing and quality of water in our streams
- Restore native riparian ecosystems
Below are the permits that YCRCD and its partners and contractors must follow when implementing this project.
CDFW Streambed Alteration 1600 permit
NPDES Permit Putah Cache Watershed Arundo Program
YCRCD Arundo CEQA MND Initial Study
