BEF WRC Portfolio

Protecting fish and providing power to this critical stretch of the Colorado River

Forty million people in the Southwestern U.S. rely on the Colorado River as a primary source of drinking water in addition to extensive agricultural and industrial uses, and the 15-Mile Reach is home to four federally endangered fish species.t Through an innovative partnership, the Colorado Water Trust is able to secure water from upstream sources and deliver it to the Grand Valley Power Plant to produce hydropower. Once the water has cycled through the plant, it will be released back to the 15-Mile Reach during critical times to support the native endangered fish species

Restoring natural hydrologic processes benefits native species and wetlands

Reservoir operations on Flat Creek historically restricted river flows during critical dry periods of the year—especially during drought periods when flows in Flat Creek were often entirely or severely depleted. Project partners, including American Rivers, are working to identify changes to reservoir management to sign

Investing in water restoration solutions in the midst of Utah’s most intense and severe drought

The Jordan River Flow Restoration project focuses on Environmental Water Transactions (EWTs), as an important conservation tool for restoring and maintaining flow in the Jordan River to Farmington Bay of Great Salt Lake in Utah. Water transaction efforts in this section of the Jordan River are year-round industrial and municipal water rights.

Providing critical habitat to migrating shorebirds

Through innovative practices such as the flooding, gradual drawdown of seasonal wetlands during spring, and water rights transactions, the project will provide 2,000 acres of crucial habitat for peak shorebird migration.

Using new tools to manage, store and deliver water during critical times of the year

Trout Unlimited is leading a partnership with agencies, farmers and water managers to increase habitat for fish and provide important economic and community benefits for residents in the region. Innovative partnerships and projects like this demonstrate how water supplies can be managed to meet the needs of the rivers, economies, and communities.

Preserving an iconic Central Oregon river for wildlife, recreation and communities

Thanks to partnerships between the Deschutes River Conservancy and local irrigation districts, new solutions have been developed to restore over 115 cubic feet per second of flow to the Middle Deschutes during the summer months. Water leasing agreements with irrigators keeps the river flowing, fostering a healthy ecosystem for people, plants and wildlife.

Small meadow garners big impacts when returned to nature

Nestled at 6800 ft elevation in the Sierra Nevadas lies the headwaters of the Middle Fork Cosumnes River in the beautiful Foster Meadow. A small and diverse meadow ecosystem, the 27-acre project area includes degraded reaches of the river to be restored, and functional reaches to conserve. The natural hydrology of the meadow has been altered by over 100 years of channel modifications, and intensive livestock use and road building. By reintroducing native soils and meadow plants that resist erosion and promote rainfall infiltration, implementing habitat diversity and varying water depths through creation of islands, peninsulas, and off-channel and in-forest habitat, as well as habitat connectivity, water quality and timing of flows will be improved and aquatic and terrestrial habitats onsite and downstream enhanced.

Farmers and conservationists work together to improve water quality in the Chattahoochee River Basin

This is one of the most ecologically diverse river basins in Georgia, with varied landscapes and a high diversity of fish, mussels, reptiles, and amphibians, which are increasingly threatened by both local and global stressors. In 2016, the Appalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF Basin) was listed as one of the most endangered in the U.S. by American Rivers’ national ranking. The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) is working with a host of regional partners to implement agricultural best management practices to restore riparian zone, reduce nutrient runoff, and improve spring flow and overall ecological condition.

Updating irrigation systems with modern technology provides gateway to major water savings

The Mason Lane Automated Headgate project will replace an outdated and inefficient irrigation diversion system with a modern, automated headgate system. The new headgate will allow irrigators to more precisely control the amount of water that they divert out of Oak Creek and into the Mason Lane ditch