NFWF Grant Profile

Recent studies indicate that channel maintenance flows may be useful for managing the prevalence of fish infection rates and disease-induced mortality in juvenille salmonids. Additional desirable effects of hydrologic disturbance are the scour and mobility of channel margins to maintain rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids. USGS CA Water Science Center will spatially assess river corridor conditions and the geomorphic effectiveness of streamflow in the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, and relate flow history to bed mobility and conditions conducive to infectious diseases, particularly those effecting juvenille salmonids. Project will collect baseline datasets and create a foundational map for planning and implementing future monitoring and interpreting river response to hydrologic disturbance including flow releases for fish disease mitigation.