East Branch North Fork Feather River

Draining an area of approximately 2,600 square kilometers, the East Branch of the North Fork Feather River (EBNFFR) is home to public and private forestland and agricultural production. While much of its area is occupied by the Plumas National Forest, this sub-watershed also contains American Valley and Indian Valley. These fertile valleys were formed by Spanish Creek and Indian Creek, respectively, and farmers and ranchers now use these waterways for irrigation. Some communities within the East Branch sub-watershed include Quincy, Greenville, and Taylorsville.

Read the University of California at Davis produced report card for this sub-watershed

Monitoring

In an effort to better identify long-term trends in water quality and quantity within the EBNFFR sub-watershed, Feather River Coordinated Resource Management (FRCRM) has been conducting monitoring in this area since 1999. This has involved both continuous recording stations to assess hourly and daily flow (cfs) and water temperature, as well as periodic stream condition inventories (SCI) to collect more in-depth data using biotic and physical parameters. To see a map of monitoring stations and download data, click here.

Restoration

In addition to monitoring the current health of the watershed, FRCRM, Sierra Institute’s partner, has been actively working to restore critical components of the system to ensure its resilience and capacity to perform valuable ecosystem services. A variety of techniques are used to fix stream channel erosion, one of the most prevalent problems in the watershed. To read about some of the restoration projects conducted in the East Branch sub-watershed, click here.

Community

Sierra Institute is committed to strengthening the participation of rural communities in watershed management decisions and programs. Our watershed coordinator is currently exploring ways to increase community involvement in watershed management within the East Branch North Fork Feather River sub-watershed. Check back often to learn more about ways you can become engaged.