Merced River Drought Resistance Project

This award is being offered to assist in the completion of Merced Irrigation Districtâ¿¿s Merced River Instream & Off-Channel Drought-Resilient Habitat Rehabilitation Project. The funds are offered in partnership to support enhancement and/or restoration of habitat designed to support salmonid spawning, incubation, and/or rearing on the Merced River. Implementation of the project should complement previously implemented Merced River restoration efforts. In addition, given recent California droughts, the proposed project should seek to mitigate and minimize potential drought-related impacts on salmonid productivity, or survival, by incorporating an element of drought resiliency into project designs in anticipation of future low-flow events. Desired project outcomes: Increased availability of salmonid habitat for key life stages in the event of low-flow conditions 1. Re-establishment of floodplain and main channel connectivity under low-flow conditions 2. Restoration of habitat / environmental disturbance(s) related to historic mining activities that may attract non-native predators 3. Improved water quality, e.g. temperature, turbidity, etc. 4. Increased natural recruitment of native riparian vegetation 5. Improved community opportunities to participate in, learn about, and support salmonid habitat restoration that is resilient to present and future drought conditions. The desired project outcomes, listed above, are congruent with the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and support the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Title 34, Public Law 102- 575) objectives 1-3, 6 (as stated below).