Battle Creek restoration plans announced

The Department of Fish and Game today announced $67 million in funding to re-establish endangered and threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead in northern California.
Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River near Manton in Tehama County, becomes the largest single restoration effort funded by DFG, with construction beginning as early as fall 2007. The project will remove several hydroelectric diversion dams in Battle Creek, as well as increase water flow while protecting fish and creating passages.
The restoration project, funded by the California Bay Delta Authority, will allow for maximum anadromous fish habitat restoration to support the Central Valley Project Improvement Act.
Battle Creek offers the geologic and hydrologic conditions to support state- and federally-listed spring- and winter-run Chinook salmon and steelhead. Restoration of habitat in Battle Creek will allow for improvement of these fish populations, which will enhance the consistency in state and federal water project operations and the salmon harvest.
Battle Creek has a relatively high and stable flow of water throughout the year, something unusual in California, making it a uniquely drought-resistant habitat for salmon and steelhead.
For more information about the project, visit the Bureau of Reclamation www.usbr.gov/mp/battlecreek or the Battle Creek Conservancy www.battle-creek.net.