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    • Habitat Analysis - Trinity River Restoration Potential

    Metadata Updated: May 24, 2025

    The goal of the Trinity River project is to identify the potential positive effects of large-scale restoration actions in a 63 kilometer reach of the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam, in the hope of guiding on the ground restoration actions. River restoration plans often propose numerous rehabilitation actions to address key habitat impairments for salmonids. However, restoration plans rarely propose alternative sets of actions or attempt to quantify the potential benefits to targeted biota. In this paper, we use geomorphic and biological analyses to estimate restoration potential for each of 37 reaches in a 64-km section of Trinity River, California, from the North Fork Trinity River to Lewiston Dam (the focus of habitat rehabilitation efforts under the Trinity River Restoration Program). We first predicted the channel pattern that might develop based in each reach on slope-discharge criteria, and then used these potential patterns along with floodplain width to estimate the maximum sinuosity that restoration actions could likely achieve, as well as a maximum side-channel length that might be created in each reach. For each scenario, we then used existing stream habitat and juvenile salmonid data from previous studies in the Trinity River and other watersheds to determine current and restored carrying capacity. Potential increases in Chinook and steelhead carrying capacity range from 39% for a relatively realistic estimate of increasing habitat quality (more low velocity areas with cover) to 67% for a more optimistic scenario that increases both sinuosity and habitat quality. Only the most optimistic scenario that increases habitat quality, increases sinuosity, and constructs tens of kilometers of side channels more than doubles potential juvenile salmonid production (140% increase). These quantitative predictions provide a frame of reference for evaluating alternative restoration options, and for setting measureable restoration goals. Database of habitat capacity estimates.

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    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) April 1, 2012 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS NWFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) April 1, 2012 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:20568
    Access Constraints Cite As: Northwest Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Habitat Analysis - Trinity River Restoration Potential [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/20568., Access Constraints: NA
    Bbox East Long -122.9563
    Bbox North Lat 40.6659
    Bbox South Lat 40.6559
    Bbox West Long -122.9663
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update
    Harvest Object Id 80ac4299-00d5-4c51-ba74-b0a6bff30499
    Harvest Source Id ba43549f-8268-499d-bec8-91b164cb168f
    Harvest Source Title NMFS NWFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Modeling
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-122.9663, 40.6559], [-122.9563, 40.6559], [-122.9563, 40.6659], [-122.9663, 40.6659], [-122.9663, 40.6559]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2010-01-01
    Temporal Extent End 2014-09-30

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