Friday June 24, 2022
CBS Bay Area —
California’s struggling salmon are about to get a lot more room to move.
On Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources officially launched the “Big Notch” project on the Sacramento River, just along the Yolo Bypass. It’s the largest floodplain salmon rearing effort in state history.
“As part of his work there is going to be quite a bit of excavation so we can encourage folks to take a little sample of soil,” joked Ted Craddock with the Department of Water Resources. “Because that will help with our construction project as well.”
The project is a dig into the state’s old water infrastructure. The system that moves floodwaters away from Sacramento also creates barriers for fish. So the river will be sliced open here, allowing for a controlled spill into land that will serve as a giant fish nursery.