Feather River. Source: California Outdoor Properties
The Feather River Watershed provides some of the hardest working water in California. As the Feather River passes from peaks to meadows, to downstream users, it supports a suite of ecosystem services, as well as domestic and agricultural duties in the source basin. Meadows enhance water supply reliability by improving the reliability and usability of water available. Over 100 years of modification to the natural hydrology of the Feather River Watershed meadows has disrupted the meadows’ ability to function as a hydrologic shock absorber in California during the dry season.
Interventions that restore meadow hydrologic function improve water supply reliability for the entire state. Functional meadows help California water to be more resilient in extreme conditions such as droughts and floods. Restored meadows naturally store water, slow the flow of water, and filter water, while also sequestering carbon. The Feather River Watershed portfolio of meadow projects has groundwater and surface water hydrologic monitoring that prove the benefits of meadow restoration for both water and carbon, and makes it a model across California.
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation is working with Plumas Corporation, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola to improve the hydrologic function of this portfolio of meadows, including repairing incised channels to re-establish hydrologic connectivity and restore floodplain ecosystem function.
Project lead: Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Plumas Corporation
Participating CWAC members: Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Danone North America
To learn more: Contact Sara Hoversten, Director, Business for Water Stewardship BEF - [shoversten@b-e-f.org]