The Dry Creek watershed is one of the fastest-urbanizing areas in California. For the past two decades, the Sacramento and Roseville areas have experienced substantial development and growth.
Placer County had a 2000 population of 248,399, an increase of 43.8% over the 1990 population, and more than double the 117,247 residents in 1980. By 2020, the population is projected to grow by an additional 182,000. The resulting development has stressed the natural environment. Loss of riparian vegetation, stream bank erosion, and sedimentation of the streams have contributed to the perceived decline of water quality in Dry Creek.
In June of 1998, Placer County was awarded a $605,400 grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. The purpose of the grant was to prepare a resource management plan for the Dry Creek watershed, a Miners Ravine Pilot Restoration/Enhancement project and a watershed quality monitoring and assessment plan. Major components included:
The geographic scope of this project includes the Dry Creek watershed, located in the American River South Basin in the central portion of the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills in Placer and Sacramento counties. The watershed encompasses approximately 101 square miles and includes six tributary watersheds:
Water drains to the Sacramento River through the Natomas East Main Drainage Canal.
View a Map of the Dry Creek Watershed (PDF).
The purpose of the project is two-fold: