River & Floodplain Restoration
We specialize in navigating the complexities of ecosystems to provide sustainable and resilient solutions. Whether it’s restoring habitats, mitigating flood risks, or enhancing environmental planning, we turn challenges into opportunities.
- LayersHydrologic Modeling
- EngineeringHydraulic Design
- WaterSurface Water / Groundwater
- EcoEcosystem Restoration
- Fluvial Geomorphology
- FloodFloodplain Management
- Water_DropHydrology & Hydraulics
- CompostWetlands Restoration
- ForestWatershed Assessments
- wavesSediment Transport
- set_mealFish Passage Design
- DestructionDam Removal
Branciforte Creek Fish Passage Barrier Removal Project
The Branciforte Creek Fish Passage Barrier Removal Project restored access to critical spawning habitat for coho salmon and steelhead trout by removing three in-stream barriers. In partnership with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and local landowners, FlowWest designed and implemented the project, which included streambank restoration and habitat enhancements completed in 2021.
Santa Cruz County, California
Arroyo De La Laguna
Heavy rains and flows in the Livermore Valley had blown out a stream bank on Arroyo De La Laguna on the outskirts of Pleasanton - a 40-foot high bank had retreated at least 40 feet and threatened homes.
Zone 7Pleasanton, CA
Great Valley Grasslands Floodplain Reconnection
FlowWest completed a feasibility study aiming to restore floodplains within the expanse of the Great Valley Grasslands State Park.
California State ParksStevinson, CA
Butte Creek Floodplain Restoration Project
The Butte Creek Floodplain Reconnection and Channel Restoration Project aims to restore over two miles of floodplain and side-channel rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids, particularly the threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon. The project focuses on the Honey Run unit of the 287-acre California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Butte Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve, acquired after the 1986 flood from a gravel mining company.
Friends of Butte CreekChico, CA
Basso/La Grange Spawning Habitat and Floodplain Restoration Project
Restoring floodplain areas devastated by dredger mining and using the excavated gravel to improve spawning habitats is a win-win for the Tuolumne River.
California Fish & WildlifeLa Grange, CA
San Pablo Step Pools Restoration Project
San Pablo Creek provides adult migration, rearing, and spawning habitat for trout and other native fish, but had infrastructure issues leading to fish population decline.
Friends of Orinda CreeksSan Pablo, CA
Stream Flow Enhancement and Restoration Project
FlowWest worked with the Dry Creek Pomo Indians to develop a watershed-scale approach to climate adaptation and salmon restoration.
Dry Creek RancheriaGeyserville, CA
Santa Rosa Creek Fish Passage Improvement
Santa Rosa Creek provides adult migration, rearing, and spawning habitat for steelhead trout and other native salmonids. The goals of the project are to reduce the frequency and extent of maintenance and to improve fish passage at a higher range of flows at three sites along Santa Rosa Creek.
Sonoma WaterSanta Rosa, CA