The Yolo Bypass is a unique and large floodplain located in the Sacramento Valley, one of the United States’ richest agricultural areas. It has great importance, as it helps with flood control and wetland wildlife habitat management; and provides opportunities for recreation and education.

Being able to hold four times as much water as the Sacramento River, the Yolo Bypass partners with the Sacramento River to act as catch basins for a maximum flow of 600,000 cubic feet/second of water. It prevents flooding, diverting water away from the California state capital and neighboring communities. The floodplain has wet and dry seasons. Around wintertime, the Yolo Bypass fills with water. In the summer, the Yolo Bypass becomes a home to agriculture.

The Yolo Bypass isn’t only a home to agriculture; it is also a huge home to many, many species of fish, waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, snakes, turtles, toads, and bats. It uniquely stays wet year-round, even during the dry season. According to studies by the USGS, the Yolo Bypass seasonally supports 42 fish species (15 native). It is an important spawning habitat for many native fish species, especially the endangered Chinook salmon. Juvenile Chinook salmon have been seen to develop faster in the Yolo Bypass compared to the nearby Sacramento River. The Yolo Bypass also serves as a “pit stop” for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway migratory path. 

For the last few months, I have been working with the California Department of Water Resources to organize collected data of fish in the Yolo Bypass. They have teams of scientists that travel to different stations along the bypass, using different methods to collect and record amounts and types of fish species in the ecosystem, along with river conditions - pH, turbidity, weather temperature, just to name a few. Reading into the unique ecosystem of the Yolo Bypass and sharing it with you all has brought in more perspective for me in my work. 

Here’s a 30 second video clip simulating movement of high flow water from the Sacramento River into the Yolo Bypass: https://youtu.be/9b6WC1WDI7k

References used:

https://www.yolobasin.org/yolobypasswildlifearea/

https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/yolo-bypass

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yolo_Bypass

https://californiawaterblog.com/2017/02/20/yolo-bypass-the-inland-sea-of-sacramento/