Urban Streams Restoration Program
Since 1985, the Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) has provided over $96 million to 327 grants in accordance with California Water Code Section 7048, to communities throughout California. The USRP goals include:
- Protecting, enhancing, and restoring the natural ecological value of streams.
- Preventing future property damage caused by flooding and bank erosion.
- Promoting community involvement, education, and riverine stewardship.
The USRP prioritizes projects that bring people together to foster community relationships while ensuring the community’s interests are incorporated into the project’s planning, design, and outcomes. Additionally, USRP prioritizes projects with innovative green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions (using natural infrastructure or leveraging ecosystem services) that reduce flooding and erosion problems and utilize native plants.
Examples of eligible projects are:
- Stream cleanups paired with stream restoration
- Bank stabilization projects
- Revegetation efforts
- Recontouring of channels to improve floodplain function
- Acquisition of strategic floodplain properties or easements
- Stream daylighting
- Concrete bank removal and stream naturalization
Through the Riverine Stewardship Program (RSP), and in conjunction with the San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program, we fund planning and implementation projects that restore streams, creeks, and rivers to enhance the environment for fish, wildlife, and people.
Learn more about the current solicitation and funding opportunities on the Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants webpage. Please subscribe to Urban Streams Restoration Program email list to stay informed on future funding opportunities.
Visit the USRP’s Grants Page to learn about our services or contact us. Learn more about the current solicitation on the Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants webpage.
Winter 2022 Final USRP Grant Awards
On June 19, 2023, DWR released the Final Award List for the 2022 USRP solicitation following the end of the 15-day public comment period. DWR selected the following project for grant funding, on the table below to received funding for the Winter 2022 Riverine Stewardship Solicitation under the Urban Streams Restoration Program.
Project Name | Grantee (Sponsor/ Co-sponsor) | Amount Awarded | Project Location |
Carr Lake Restoration | Big Sur Land Trust/ Center for Community Advocacy | $2,500,000 | Monterey |
Total | $2,500,000 |
The Riverine Stewardship Program solicitation awards grants through a rolling application cycle until all available local assistance funding is distributed. The first application cycle began in June 2022 for concept proposals and we those, which met our eligibility requirements to submit full applications by August 31, 2022.
You may refer to the guidelines and proposal solicitation package for detailed information on the solicitation rules, procedures, and processes at the Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants webpage.
Fall 2022 Final USRP Grant Awards
On December 30, 2022, DWR released the Final Award List for the 2022 USRP solicitation following the end of the 15-day public comment period on the draft award list on November 15, 2022. DWR selected two projects for grant funding on the table below to receive funding for the Summer 2022 Riverine Stewardship Solicitation under the Urban Streams Restoration Program.
Project Name |
Grantee (Sponsor/ Co-sponsor) |
Amount Awarded |
Project Location |
---|---|---|---|
Donner Creek Restoration | Truckee River Watershed Council/ Truckee Donner Public Utility District | $1,239,936 | Nevada County |
Lower Colgan Creek Restoration Project - Phase 3 |
City of Santa Rosa/ Laguna De Santa Rosa Foundation |
$4,368,066 | Sonoma County |
Total | $5,608,002 |
2019 Solicitation Grants
On March 26, 2020, DWR released the Final Awards List for the 2019 USRP solicitation. The solicitation period closed on August 30, 2019. A 15-day public comment period began on January 29, 2020, when the Draft Award List was published. The projects shown on the table below have been selected to receive funding for the 2019 Riverine Stewardship Solicitation under the Urban Stream Restoration Program.
Project Name |
Grantee (Sponsor/Cosponsor) |
Amount Awarded |
Project Location |
---|---|---|---|
Church Street Extension / Trout Creek Restoration | Town of Truckee/ Truckee River Watershed Council | $1,000,000.00 | Truckee (Nevada County) |
Powers Creek Restoration Project | Mad River Alliance/ City of Blue Lake | $639,278.00 | Humboldt County |
Town Creek Restoration and Education Project * | Eel River Recovery Project/ Round Valley County Water District | $222,450.00 | Mendocino County |
Buena Vista Creek Restoration and DAC Stewardship Planning |
City of Oceanside/ Buena Vista Audubon Society |
$360,800.00 | San Diego County |
San Ysidro Debris Basin Improvement Project | Santa Barbara County Flood Control & Water Conservation District/ South Coast Habitat Restoration |
$351,417.00 | Santa Barbara County |
Wildcat Creek Fish Passage and Community Engagement * | Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District/ Trout Unlimited | $784,775.00 | Contra Costa County |
Courtland Creek Restoration Project in Courtland Creek Park* |
City of Oakland/ Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation | $1,551,780.00 | Alameda County |
Tally Ho Stream Restoration | Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District/ Creeklands Conservation | $250,335.85 | San Luis Obispo County |
Broadway Creek Restoration Project * | City of El Cajon/ The San Diego River Pak Foundation | $1,000,000.00 | San Diego County |
Morrison Creek Revitalization Project | City of Sacramento/ Sacramento Community Land Trust | $697,000.00 | Sacramento County |
Belmont Creek Stream Restoration at Twins Pines Park | County of San Mateo Department of Public works/Belmont Park Boosters | $1,000,000.00 | San Mateo County |
* Project Award has been Amended |
Projects
Northern Region
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: Humboldt County Resource Conservation District / Salt River Watershed Council
- 2014 Grant Request: $716,634, Award: $716,634, Total Project Cost: $2,101,833
The Francis Creek Rehabilitation and Restoration Project will restore channel capacity and conveyance and enhance the ecological values of Francis Creek while reducing flooding of roads, infrastructure, and residences. It will install structural and nonstructural design elements that will provide long-term sediment management capabilities, involve the community in planning for restoring Williams Creek, and build community capacity to steward project and watershed improvements into the future.
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: City of Arcata / Humboldt Bay Keeper
- 2014 Grant Request: $49,423, Award: $49,423, Total Project Cost: $98,675
This project will restore instream and riparian habitat and channel capacity by removing exotic reed canary grass and other invasive plant species and reestablishing native riparian vegetation. It will also improve instream habitat complexity by placing wood within select reaches of Janes Creek. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Humboldt Bay Keeper, and Humboldt Fish Action Council staff and volunteers will work with the City of Arcata to protect and restore public and private property to help remove invasive reed canary grass and revegetate these areas. Humboldt Bay Keeper volunteers will also sample water quality before and after restoration efforts.
- Sponsor /Cosponsor: City Nevada City / Sierra Streams Institute
- 2014 Grant Request: $485,208, Award: $485,208, Total Project Cost: $612,582
The Little Deer Creek/Pioneer Park Restoration and Flood Mitigation Project in Nevada County will restore Little Deer Creek to a more natural condition as it flows through an urban park by removing the eroding concrete channel that confines the creek, widening the stream channel and reconnecting it to its floodplain, and restoring native vegetation. This will increase the Pioneer Park’s recreational value by reducing the occurrence of flooding in the ballfield. An accessible recreational trail will also be created that will enhance community enjoyment of Little Deer Creek. The project will engage the local community in stewardship of the creek while educating citizens on issues related to urban stream management.
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: Redwood Community Act Agency/ City of Eureka
- 2008 Amount Requested: $600,000, Award: $600,000, Total Project Cost: $4,200,000
The project, in Humboldt County, provides flood management, erosion control, restoration, and enhancement of stream, estuary, wetland, and riparian habitat, and includes community participation. Flood management goals will be achieved through replacement of tide gates to improve flood routing and fish passage. Undersized culverts upstream of the tide gates will be replaced with bridges. Detention ponds for floodwater storage and fish habitat will be constructed. Channels will be excavated to remove accumulated sediment, increase capacity, and remove invasive plants. Riparian enhancement will provide shade and wildlife habitat and a muted tide cycle will improve sediment routing and help control invasive plants. The project will reduce flooding, enhance habitat, and involve the community by working with local schools and community groups.
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: City of Fortuna / Redwood Community Action Agency
- 2014 Grant Request: $391,018, Award: $391,018, Total Project Cost: $391,018
The Rohner Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, in Humboldt County, is a continuation of the larger Rohner Creek Flood Control, Seismic and Habitat Improvements Project. This floodplain improvement includes the extension of a floodplain swale and inset floodplain. The improvements, in conjunction with the larger project, will convey flows up to the 100 year event and allow smaller flows to regularly inundate the inset floodplain along Rohner Creek, restoring channel-floodplain connectivity. Funding from DWR provides project administration, construction of floodplain improvements, and community involvement, while the project designs, CEQA, and permitting are being completed under a separate project.
North Central Region
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: City of Berkeley / Earth Island Institute
- 2014 Grant Request: $441,231, Award: Contingency– Active now because funds became available, Total Project Cost: $613,731
The Daylighting Codornices Creek at Kains Street Project will restore a critical stretch of Codornices Creek, which has been the focus of extensive watershed restoration efforts over the past 20 years, to benefit steelhead, reduce flood risks and stabilize creek banks through removing concrete channel linings and reinforcing the soil with bioengineering. The project also provides an amenity to a low-income community and will offer habitat for songbirds and other wildlife, in addition to restoring habitat conditions in the creek for the federally threatened steelhead.
Donner Creek Restoration
- Sponsor/Co-sponsor: Truckee River Watershed Council/ Truckee Donner Public Utility District
- Award: $1,239,936
The Donner Creek Restoration project will restore 6.5 acres at four sites along Donner Creek, a degraded system impacted by urban development and located within a disadvantaged community in Truckee, CA. The project will use a watershed approach to flood control, stabilize eroding streambanks and reduce excess sedimentation, enhance degraded wetlands to treat pollutant loading from urban runoff, and install biotechnical features and native vegetation to enhance riparian and in-stream habitat. The project will engage the local community in stewardship of the creek while connecting local students with environmental issues, conducting community outreach in an underserved community, and volunteer restoration.
Lower Colgan Creek Restoration Project-Phase 3
- Sponsor/Co-sponsor: City of Santa Rosa/ Laguna De Santa Rosa Foundation
- Award: $4,368,066
The Lower Colgan Creek Restoration Project will restore11.27 acres of riparian habitat along 1.3 miles of creek. The project will reconnect the floodplain and will allow for natural meanders. The project will prevent flooding damage to nearby homes and businesses by widening the creek channel and reconnecting it with a more natural flood plain. Non-native and invasive species will be removed and replace with native vegetation. The project will also utilize environmental education curriculum and public outreach to engage the community in helping to care for the creek.
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: Placer County Flood Control and Water Conservation District / Maya Archers Club
- 2014 Grant Request: $350,000, Award: Contingency – Active now because funds became available, Total Project Cost: $2,021,700
The Antelope Creek Flood Control Project, in Placer County, involves the demolition of one existing culvert crossing over Antelope Creek in Roseville and the installation of a fish friendly on-channel flood control weir and specific creek restoration elements. The weir will provide significant benefit to critical fish habitat by removing existing fish barriers, debris, and invasive plant species. Native plants will be added to the riparian corridor and an existing public recreational trail will be improved including installation of interpretive signs.
South Central Region
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District/ Central Coast Salmon Enhancement
- 2008 Amount Requested: $831,420, Award: $831,420, Total Project Cost: $1,323,420
The proposed floodplain and stream restoration project, in San Luis Obispo County, will increase the area of active floodplain available to Corbett Creek by 10 acres, reduce chronic sedimentation, improve riparian habitat for 3 federally-listed species, permanently preserve 12.5 acres of open space, and improve hydrologic function along lower Corbett Creek. The project will also positively affect the main stem of Arroyo Grande Creek by capturing sediment, and decrease the Corbett Creek peak flood flow by laterally spreading water over an enhanced floodplain. Stakeholder meetings will be held throughout the design process to encourage community involvement.
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: Tuolumne River Preservation Trust / City of Modesto
- 2014 Grant Request: $532,169, Award: $412,918, Total Project Cost: $1,093,603
The Dennett Dam Removal Project encompasses design, permitting, environmental compliance, and removal of the remnants of Dennett Dam, an abandoned low-head dam located on the lower Tuolumne River in Modesto, Stanislaus County. The dam has been an instream barrier to anadromous fish migration, controlling local hydraulic and sediment transport conditions for over 60 years. Removing the dam will remediate a fish migration barrier, improve sediment transport, reduce invasive plant colonization, and greatly improve public safety and access for boating and swimming.
- Sponsor /Cosponsor: City of Farmersville / Community Services Employment Training: Sequoia Community Corps
- 2014 Grant Request: $995,677, Award: $748,465, Total Project Cost: $1,010,077
The Farmersville Deep Creek Restoration Project, in Tulare County, will: 1) prevent flooding along Deep Creek, a natural waterway that bisects the disadvantaged community of Farmersville, 2) restore the riparian habitat by removing invasive plants, litter and debris, and 3) promote environmental stewardship through a robust education/outreach campaign to "Keep Deep Creek Clean." These objectives will be achieved through the development of a comprehensive restoration plan and implementation of restoration activities on two priority segments of the Deep Creek in a built-out residential area. DWR funding will support the development of the restoration plan, and implementation for the first priority phase segment.
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: Big Sur Land Trust/ Monterey County
- 2008 Amount Requested: $1,000,000, Award: $1,000,000, Total Project Cost: $14,342,635
This project will restore 128 acres of historic floodplain, wetland, and riparian habitat along the lower Carmel River, in Monterey County. It will return floodplain and riparian function to the site by restoring connectivity between the main channel of the Carmel River and the historic, south bank floodplain. The property will be graded to create a diverse and dynamic floodplain environment and retain a 36-acre agricultural preserve. Planting and reseeding will promote native riparian and wetland habitat. A floodwater conveyance structure at Highway 1 will be constructed that is suitable for 100 year flows and will allow for “longitudinal connectivity” between the historic floodplain and the coastal ecosystem downstream.
Southern Region
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: City of Calabasas / Mountains Restoration Trust
- 2014 Grant Request: $676,735, Award: $676,735, Total Project Cost: $932,860
This Las Virgenes Creek Bank Stabilization, Stream Restoration, and Fish Barrier Enhancement Project, in Los Angeles County, will remove obstacles to fish passage and improve aquatic habitat, arrest erosion and sedimentation, and re-establish a coherent riparian corridor in an urban setting. Enhancements to the creek will focus on riparian corridor restoration, erosion control, biotechnical slope and bank stabilization, fish habitat enhancement, and environmental education. This work will be accomplished in a way that improves channel flood carrying capacity and improves habitat conditions to restore the fluvial geomorphic balance of the creek.
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: Santa Barbara Flood Control and Water Conservation District/ South Coast Habitat Restoration
- 2014 Grant Request: $231,662, Award: $231,662, Total Project Cost: $488,803
The Maria Ygnacio Debris Basin Modification Project, in Santa Barbara County, reduces chronic creek bank and bed degradation and improves the hydrologic function of the main stem of Maria Ygnacio Creek. The project will also restore riparian habitat and provide access to nearly 1 mile of upstream spawning and rearing grounds for federally endangered steelhead trout. Restoration efforts include removal of a grouted rock and earth-filled dam; removal of a concrete low-flow road crossing; remediation of a fish migration barrier at the grouted rock grade control structure (upstream of the dam); and restoration of creek banks.
- Sponsor / Cosponsor: Land Trust for Santa Barbara / Santa Barbara County Flood Control District
- 2014 Grant Request: $999,982, Award: $939,385, Total Project Cost: $3,480,564
The North Campus Open Space Devereux Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, in Santa Barbara County, will remove approximately 200,000 cubic yards of fill soil from within the floodplain of Devereux Creek to reduce flooding and ecologically disruptive flood control management in the City of Goleta. The project will restore the area to create a self-sustaining system that enhances hydrologic and ecological function of the riparian-to-estuarine transition zone. It will also support populations of endangered tidewater goby and provide education through outreach, interpretive signs, a video, volunteer restoration events, and tours. Benefits from the project will reduce localized flooding, eliminate disruptive flood control activities, support listed and sensitive species, provide long term educational opportunities to college students at University of California, Santa Barbara, and support public access to a 652 acre open space by members of the disadvantaged community of Isla Vista.
- Sponsor/ Cosponsor: City of Pasadena/ Arroyo Seco Foundation
- 2008 Amount Requested: $1,000,000, Amount Recommended: $638,410, Total Project Cost: $ 2,540,000
This project will resolve problems with stormwater drainage at the headwaters of Berkshire Creek, in Los Angeles County, which causes flooding on the adjacent road and severe erosion and water pollution in the creek. The project will concentrate on ameliorating the drain outlet and restoring and stabilizing Berkshire Creek, a severely eroded and degraded channel. This includes restoration of riparian and Oak Woodland habitats, protection of an existing wetland, improvement of picnic areas, including ADA compliance, installation of interpretative signs, and creation of opportunities for scenic views. Non-native vegetation will be removed and existing trail routes that impact riparian habitats will be abandoned. The Berkshire Creek Restoration project will develop 2,200 linear feet of a hiking and equestrian trail that will provide the missing link to a 3-mile loop perimeter trail around City of Pasadena parklands.