Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration

The American Rivers California Regional office is currently working on the Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration project to restore healthy function to this unique floodplain and maximize its natural benefits.

The floodplain addressed by this project is currently cut off from Deer Creek by a large berm - a long, man made pile of gravel along the creek’s bank. When there is a storm that increases the level of water in Deer Creek the berm blocks the creek from flowing out over the floodplain. At present, due to the lack of regular water flows over the floodplain, habitat is constricted to a narrow corridor along the banks of the creek, and the larger terrace beyond the berm is lacking vegetation.

The Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration project involves cutting down the berm so that the creek can flow over the floodplain during high flows. By allowing the stream to flood the terrace during high flow events, the project will promote groundwater recharge and potentially contribute to increased stream flows during dry months due to a gradual release of water.

The project will also involve the removal of non-native plant species and the planting of native riparian vegetation along the creek corridor and throughout the terrace. This will contribute to carbon sequestration, the filtration of stormwater, and an increase in habitat for songbirds, fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, and other wildlife. The project team will monitor pre-, during, and post- project to observe changes in groundwater, flooding frequency, and the response of the aquatic community.

The Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project also includes an educational component in which local middle school classes contribute to the restoration work as well as participate in on-site and in-class educational activities related to river and wetland ecology, restoration, and numerous other environmental themes. In this way, this project will help build the next generation of river stewards. 

Additionally, this floodplain restoration project is located near a town centered multi-use trail project called the Deer Creek Tribute Trail of which American Rivers is also a partner. By virtue of its proximity to the trail, American Rivers hopes to demonstrate to the public the benefits of floodplain restoration projects to a community’s clean water supply and river habitat.

Deer Creek is a typical Sierra mountain stream, it is steep and constrained. Low, flat areas are infrequent and provide important floodplain and wetland habitats.  Floodplains increasingly are being valued for their many natural benefits. Seasonal high flows over floodplains can provide essential habitat for plants and animals, including those dependent on periodic floods.

Floodplains have also begun to be seen as green infrastructure – reservoirs that reduce the frequency and intensity of floods by soaking up floodwater into the ground and storing it in ground water, which represents an important part of our water supply.  Additionally, as floodwaters spread over a floodplain the floodwater is slowed which causes sediments to settle and floodplain vegetation to use up excess nutrients. In this way, floodplains filter the water. By restoring floodplains, there is the potential to sustain floodplains as “natural reservoirs” and “nature filters” that provide many benefits to the economy, agriculture, and communities.

The Deer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project is a multi-partner endeavor that includes: Friends of Deer Creek, a citizen watershed group, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a federal agency with land-ownership in the project area, the Nevada County Land Trust, a county-wide land trust, the Greater Champion Neighborhood Association, an association of supportive neighbors, and the Chinese Quarter Society and Save Our Historic Canals (SOHC), both local organizations with cultural and historical interests in the project. The project is funded by the California Resource Agency through the California River Parkway Grant Program. Additional funding has been provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Five Star Grant Program and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.