News release: CalTrout launches new source water science study
The spring waters that emerge from the volcanic rocks of northern California’s Cascade Range are of critical importance for water security for both fish and people, yet relatively little is known about them and how they have been affected by recent drought and other climate change impacts. In 2023, CalTrout and our partners embarked on a three-year study to provide a scientifically based toolset to better understand, manage, and advance the protection of the cold, clean spring waters in the Upper Sacramento Basin. Building on our past efforts to assess baseline conditions of springs in the Mount Shasta region, this study will define and quantify source areas and flows, assess ecosystem sensitivity to climate change, and determine how these systems support the diverse life history of wild cold-water fish. Study locations include the spring-fed streams above Shasta Reservoir: the McCloud, Upper Sacramento, Rising, and Fall rivers, Hat Creek, and Burney Creek, which feeds the iconic Burney Falls.