Analysis shows climate-caused decreases in Scott River fall flows

Because of declining anadromous fisheries, resource managers are concerned about the timing and quantity of water flows in Northern California's Scott River. We analyzed 48 years of flow and precipitation data to improve our collective understanding of the Scott River fall flow regime and to provide information for current and future fisheries-restoration efforts. Fall flows are primarily controlled by the water content of snow and precipitation during the previous 12 months. These two factors account for nearly 80% of the variation in fall flows. Our analysis shows that downward trends in fall flows appear to be explained by a decrease in the water content of the snow falling on the Scott River watershed. This information will be useful in assessing the relative benefits of conservation and restoration strategies against the larger background of climate-caused changes in river flow.