Hidden Valley Ranch and Steenstrup Slough

Project Lead: RD 2092/River Partners

Short Project Description:
The Hidden Valley Floodplain Restoration Project is designed to:

1. reestablish native riparian vegetation on 340 acres currently under cultivation,
2. remove a private levee to reconnect 40 acres of floodplain to the river,
3. replace two dilapidated water control structures and a culvert with two state-of-the-art water control structures to reconnect and optimize habitat on 4.4 miles of historic Steenstrup Slough,
4. regrade approximately 40 acres of farm fields at the head of Steenstrup Slough to create a managed seasonal wetland,
5. install solar panels to manage the seasonal wetland without fossil fuels,
6. complete a 1707 stream flow dedication from the conserved water associated with restoration,
7. monitor the site to ensure effectiveness, and
8. pursue the permits necessary to breach a federal levee to reconnect 920 acres of floodplain on Hidden Valley and neighboring Dos Rios Ranch.