Merced River Corridor Restoration Plan Baseline Studies - Volume I: Identification of Social, Institutional, and Infrastructural Opportunities and Constraints (Final Report)

Abstract or Long Description:

The Merced River drains a 1,276-square-mile watershed on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in the southern portion of California’s Central Valley and joins the San Joaquin River about 87 miles south of Sacramento. Elevations in the basin range from 13,000 feet NGVD1 at its crest in Yosemite National Park to 49 feet NGVD at the San Joaquin River confluence. The climate is typically
Mediterranean, with wet winters and dry summers. Similar to other rivers originating from the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, flow in the Merced River is typified by late spring and early summer snowmelt, fall and winter rainstorm peaks and low summer baseflows. Annual water yield from the Merced River averages 996,500 acre-feet (for the period 1903–1999).
To be successful, the restoration plan must work within the ecological as well as the social, institutional, and infrastructural context of the river. This social, institutional, and infrastructural context includes property ownership, land use and zoning, water resource development, water supply reliability, flood control requirements, physical structures (such as bridges), and environmental, flood control, and other regulations. Understanding this social, institutional, and infrastructural context of the river provides necessary insight into potential opportunities and constraints for river restoration. Recognizing these opportunities and constraints, the plan and the restoration projects contained within the plan can be designed to be implementable and functional within the current and foreseeable social, institutional, and infrastructural framework of the river.

Resource URL:
http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov/afrp/documents/MercCorr1.pdf

file upload:

Image:

Bibliographical Authors:

Contributing Organizations:

Purpose:
The Merced River Corridor Restoration Planning project was initiated to develop a publicly supported, technically sound, and implementable plan to improve geomorphic and ecological function in the Merced River corridor from Crocker-Huffman Dam (River Mile2 [RM] 52) downstream to the San Joaquin River (RM 0).The project is being implemented in three phases. In Phase I, Stillwater Sciences and the County established a Merced River Stakeholder Group and Merced River Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

Keywords:
land ownership, land use, infrastructure, property ownership, zoning, planning policies, urban zoning, agricultural zoning, mining, parks and recreation, water supply and demand, water rights, flood control, riparian habitat, wildlife habitat

Species Common Names:

Species Latin Names:

Citation:

Publisher:

Stillwater Sciences

Publication Date:
April 29, 2001 10:00 PM

Currentness:
P

Progress:
C

Update Frequency:
G

Information Resource Type:
Websites

Information Resource Specific Type:
Other

Media Type:
Computer File

Access Limitations:
0

Use Limitations:
No Restrictions

To Obtain:
Stillwater Sciences 2532 Durant Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704

Common Place Names:
Snelling, Cressy

Watersheds:
Merced River

Counties:
Merced , Mariposa, Stanislaus

Cities and Urban Areas:

Resource and Special Districts:

Latitude:

Longitide:

GIS Location Polygon:

Merced River Watershed Portal

Sections

Personal tools

Document Actions

Merced River Corridor Restoration Plan Baseline Studies - Volume I: Identification of Social, Institutional, and Infrastructural Opportunities and Constraints (Final Report)