Floodplain restoration helps both fish and people where Tuolumne and San Joaquin meet
Out where the Tuolumne River joins the San Joaquin, an intriguing way of managing water is taking hold. Dos Rios Ranch is nine years into its restoration, a $45 million-plus effort across nearly 2,400 acres. It seeks to enhance flood protection, wildlife habitat and water supplies in one grand vision. Crews have reshaped former farm fields to mimic the floodplains that spread across much of the Central Valley in the time before dams and levees.