Every few minutes, an airplane flies over the Upper Elkhorn Basin, reminding those who live and work there that changes are coming. Bounded on the east by the Sacramento River and the west by the Yolo Bypass, the quiet, agricultural stretch of Yolo County has been farmed for more than a century. … But as climate change and development along the eastern edge of the river increases flooding risk for thousands of residents in the Sacramento region, state and federal water managers are eyeing the Upper Elkhorn Basin as a potential solution. To protect vulnerable points along the river, including the airport and other parts of the Natomas Basin, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released a tentative plan to widen the Yolo Bypass into the Elkhorn Basin. The move would inundate roughly 1,200 acres of prime farmland, fundamentally altering how the land would be used.

Other wetland news:

• Stormwater Solutions: EPA awards $3.46 million for Pacific Southwest wetland projects