March 17, 2009 - The Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area secured $425,000 in funding this week to restore approximately 700 acres of wetlands habitat. The funding comes from two sources - a dairy spill civil prosecution settlement in the amount of $79,000 and a $346,000 federal grant to the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
In addition to donating grant funding to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, the California Waterfowl Association will also be managing the wetlands restoration project, which will begin this summer and be completed by fall. The restoration project will transform approximately 700 acres of agriculture land in the Yolo Bypass to seasonal and tidal wetlands habitat, which will benefit nearly 200 species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. The project will involve re-contouring agricultural fields to create tidal channels, islands and shallowly flooded areas, planting tules and installing new water control structures.
"This project will add a new tidal dynamic to the diverse wetland habitats that make up the Yolo Wildlife Area," said Chuck Armor, Bay Delta Regional Manager. "I am quite excited by the possibilities."
The $79,000 in settlement funding for the project stemmed from a 1.3-million-gallon dairy wastewater spill that fouled an irrigation canal system in the Dixon area in November 2003. The Department of Fish and Game and the Solano County District Attorney's Office settled the case with Heritage Dairy over damages to wildlife and the environment.
DFG and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board both responded to the incident. A joint investigation found that a pump failure at a sewage holding pond on the property caused dairy waste to flood into a field and flow into the irrigation canal. The canal system provides water for local agriculture and drains into DFG's Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and Haas Slough, habitat for numerous fish and wildlife species. Heritage Dairy was cited for the illegal release of deleterious material into state waters.
DFG's Office of Spill Prevention and Response conducted a natural resources damage assessment to determine the injuries to wildlife and the environment. This analysis found elevated levels of ammonia in the waterway after the spill, as well as decreased amounts of oxygen. These conditions are known to adversely affect fish and other aquatic life that inhabit the canals and sloughs in this area. Carp, mosquito fish, invertebrates, birds and other wildlife were some of the species threatened by the contamination. The settlement, which includes funding for wetlands restoration in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, involves benefiting the same type of environment and species that were injured by the spill.
Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, located between Sacramento and Davis, contains nearly 16,000 acres wilderness area. Thousands of nature enthusiasts visit the area every year for its excellent bird watching opportunities, educational programs, nature exploration and waterfowl hunting.
