Sacramento, California - The Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Water Forum, Sacramento County Regional Parks, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin work on the 2016 Lower American River Salmonid Spawning and Rearing Habitat Restoration Project in early August.

This eighth year of the Project continues the work of improving spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead trout and Chinook salmon in the lower American River. The amount of available juvenile salmonid rearing habitat limits the production potential in the river. Much of the existing spawning habitat consists of large rocks and fine sediment that reduces the ability for these fish to construct redds (nests) and may reduce the number of eggs surviving and emerging as juvenile fish from the redds. A 1,200 foot long side channel will be will be excavated along the north side of the river at Sacramento Bar and spawning gravel will be added to the main channel of the river. This Project is one of many to help meet the requirements of the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Section 3406 (b)(13), to restore and replenish spawning gravel and rearing habitat.

Work will begin August 1, 2016. Heavy equipment work is expected to be completed by the end of September with any planting expected to be done later. Sacramento Bar is at river mile 19 on the American River, one mile downstream of the Sunrise Boulevard bridge over the river.

The side channel will be excavated and gravel will be sorted, washed, and then placed in the river using excavators, front-end loaders and bulldozers. Safety is a priority and it is very important for the public to pay attention to the informational signage located around Sacramento Bar.