About
The Lower Yolo Bypass is the most downstream portion of the Yolo Bypass (Bypass), a massive levied floodway located west of the Sacramento River and within Yolo and Solano Counties. The Bypass provides flood conveyance for the cumulative high flows from several northern California waterways to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta). In addition to flood conveyance, the Bypass provides critical habitat to a variety of species including numerous plant and bird species and threatened and endangered fish such as the Delta Smelt and Sacramento Splittail. The Bypass also provides recreation opportunities, including widespread hunting and fishing use.
Lower Bypass lands are owned by private parties, public agencies, and advocacy groups. Most of the Lower Bypass is used for agriculture and privately managed habitat. Some lands/levees have fallen into disrepair, creating flooded conditions. These flooded areas offer many habitat benefits but also pose management challenges.
To address these issues, the Yolo Basin Foundation (Foundation) and the Delta Protection Commission, with generous funding from the California Department of Fish and Game have formed the Lower Yolo Bypass Planning Forum (Forum). The Forum is a result of the Foundation's work with the Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) in 2005 to assess the feasibility of a stakeholder process to address Lower Bypass issues.
In the assessment, CCP recommended that despite differences, stakeholders were closer to agreement on issues than initially believed. This condition, combined with the overwhelming need to craft solutions, provides a unique opportunity to design a meaningful, long term management approach for the Lower Bypass.
If you are interested in attending a Lower Yolo Bypass Planning Forum meeting, please contact Sam Magill or Dave Ceppos from the Center for Collaborative Policy at (916) 445-2079.
Planning Forum Membership:
