Watershed Management

Nearly 60% of the state's water supplies begin in the Sacramento River watershed including supplies for the watershed of origin and both the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.

Over the past century, a multiple agency approach to natural resource and environmental management has evolved. Working at the local level with individuals and communities reflects the State's interest in empowering its citizens to help achieve the state's resource management and environmental objectives. Connecting people to their landscape can be a challenge. Connecting across agency programs or across professions can also be a challenge. Watersheds - or drainage basins - offers a useful geographic unit to better make these connections. Watershed management integrates many issues as it represents the protection, use, restoration, and enhancement of water quality, water quantity, ecosystems, estuaries, managing hydropower plants and floodplains.

In April 2002 the California Resources Agency and the State Water Resources Control Board prepared a report on "Addressing the Need to Protect California's Watersheds: Working with Local Partnerships."

Click here to view a map of Northern California watershed partnerships.