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TID headed to state water board to talk plans for Tuolumne River
Tuolumne River project 1
Gravel that was removed from the river during the Gold Rush days is being put back into the Tuolumne to help add complexity to the river, creating the fast-moving current in which salmon thrive (Photo courtesy of TID).

Representatives from Turlock Irrigation District, along with its partners in the Tuolumne River’s Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Agreement, will be in Sacramento this morning to pick apart a scientific report released by the state water board.

In September, the State Water Board Resources Committee released its Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement – an analysis of the Tuolumne River agreement to inform the water board’s consideration of incorporating the agreement into the Bay-Delta Plan. 

The Tuolumne River Partners — TID, Modesto Irrigation District and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission — believe the release of the scientific report for the Tuolumne is an important step in moving the agreement forward.

The Tuolumne River Partners contend that the agreement adds water to the river in every water year type, with no exceptions, and commits to increased releases even in critically dry years: 63 percent more water in the river in dry years and 52 percent more water in the river in critically dry years.

The partners also claim that their plan delivers at least 77 acres of new floodplain and rearing habitat, adds 100,000 tons of spawning gravel, and restores key side channels that improve fish survival.

“These are not hypothetical projects — they’re real. In 2024, we restored over 10 acres of critical spawning habitat in partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, returning 50,000 cubic yards of gravel to the riverbed,” the Tuolumne River Partners said in a joint press release. “This new spawning habitat is already being used by the largest return of spring-run salmon from the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, ever — more than 1,200 fish.”

The partners unveiled plans just over a year ago to sink $80 million over an eight-year span into restoration efforts on the lower Tuolumne, which is aimed at revitalizing and better protecting native fish species in their natural habitat.

An agreement between the three utilities and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was forged in February of 2021, with the project getting under way in September 2024.

Today’s meeting will be held at the CalEPA Building, 1001 I St., Sacramento. It can be viewed online on the water board’s YouTube page (youtube.com/user/BoardWebSupport) and the CalEPA website (video.calepa.ca.gov/).