floodplain Content

Study: Floodplain Farm Fields Benefit Juvenile Salmon

Katherine E Kerlin — June 07, 2017 - 4:54pm

A new study offers a beacon of hope for a cease-fire in the Golden State’s persistent water wars.

Nigiri Project Mixes Salmon and Rice Fields for Fifth Year on Floodplain

Katherine E Kerlin — February 23, 2016 - 3:13pm

Experiment shows how floodplains can benefit both farms and fish. Farmland can act as surrogate wetlands for salmon and be managed to mimic the Sacramento River's natural annual flooding cycle. This year, the project will compare food web productivity and fish growth in three kinds of river habitat.

Behind the Levee

Katherine E Kerlin — February 09, 2016 - 11:39am

People living behind levees on floodplains may not be as immune to flood damage as they think, according to results of a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Levees often prevent costly flood damages and even loss of life. However, when those levees overtop or fail, and water spills onto the floodplain, the long-term damage can be far worse than if those levees were not there, the study found.