Multi-Benefit Flood Management in California’s Central Valley

Resource: Storymap

Source: American Rivers

The Central Valley is highly vulnerable to flooding. The current levee-based flood management system provides insufficient flood protection and has caused significant harm to wetland and floodplain habitats that once spanned this 300-mile-long corridor. The Central Valley’s rigid and aging flood management system puts urban and agricultural areas at risk, degrades water quality, restricts recreational access, limits groundwater recharge, and eliminates habitat for fish and wildlife.