Restoration Projects Statewide Order Draft Program Environmental Impact Report

The Shasta River Habitat Improvement Project, identified by WCB Project Tracker ID 2026024 and State Clearinghouse No. 2019100230, is a conservation initiative focused on the recovery of coho salmon in Siskiyou County, California. The project targets the Shasta River, including Big Springs Creek, Hole in the Ground Creek, and Parks Creek, to promote habitat enhancement and conservation. Key restoration activities include strategic grading to improve connectivity, the installation of large wood and boulder instream structures, the use of beaver dam analogs, and riparian plantings. These efforts are designed to enlarge spring alcoves, reconnect oxbows, and improve floodplain connectivity to provide essential velocity refuge and increase overall habitat diversity. Managed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board Region 1 and the Wildlife Conservation Board, the project is classified as a Qualifying Restoration Project under Restoration Management Permit RMP-2025-006-R1. An Environmental Impact Report was prepared, and the project was determined to have no significant environmental effect, requiring no mitigation monitoring plans or overriding considerations under CEQA. The project is part of a broader statewide effort to restore hydrologic function and salmonid habitat, with administrative oversight involving the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.