District operations are vital to helping maintain natural habitat throughout the Capay Valley and on the valley floor, as we aim to keep the environment flourishing. The District maintains continuous flows in north fork of Cache Creek below the Indian Valley Dam to maintain habitat for fish and other riparian plants and animals that depend on water in Cache Creek to thrive. Riparian areas are vital to preserving biological diversity, and riparian vegetation slow creek flows during winter storms which reduces streambed scour and helps with groundwater recharge. In this way, helping the environment is central to the District’s mission.
The District partners with state and local agencies, and private landowners on projects to maintain and improve wildlife habitat and to prevent and control harmful invasive species. These projects include working with farmers to create hedgerows with native plants that support wildlife, noxious weed removal, and helping to keep our waterways free of destructive quagga and zebra mussels. The District has worked with agencies to create native plantings to enrich wildlife habitat within the canal system. You can read more about the District’s stewardship activities by following the sidebar links.