Beneath the warm sun of the San Joaquin Valley, crews with heavy machinery have spent the past two months moving heaps of gravel into the cool waters of the Tuolumne River. The work, in rural Stanislaus County, marks an unlikely partnership between the city of San Francisco and two large irrigation districts to try to revive the river’s struggling salmon population. The gravel bars and riffles being fashioned in the lower reaches of the waterway are expected to help the renowned fish spawn. San Francisco and the Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts have long relied on the Tuolumne for water supplies, and they’ve often fought over who gets what. But now the three parties are working in tandem to save the fish that are close to being wiped out in large part because of the water draws.

Related article:

• Turlock Journal: Restoring the Tuolumne River