The Elks Lodge Boat Harbor Salmonid Rearing Project involves eliminating a fish stranding problem and creating an active floodplain to establish juvenile salmonid rearing habitat. The project is located approximately 1.6 river miles upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, on the east bank of the Sacramento River in Red Bluff, California. The Red Bluff Elks Lodge boat harbor was rendered unusable when the Red Bluff Diversion Dam was decommissioned. The approximately 2.25-acre site floods in the winter but is above the river surface water elevation during the remaining time of year. The site is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation. The site does not drain well when river flows drop, which creates a fish stranding problem that the fisheries agencies have to regularly deal with by conducting fish rescues.
The project includes the following components:
- Survey
- Hydraulic Modeling
- Design
- Permitting
- Construction
- Monitoring
The concept is to alter the outlet so that the site does not strand fish. In addition, the concept includes lowering the elevation of the former harbor so that it inundates at a wider range of flows to create floodplain rearing habitat for salmonids.
