Powerhouse Riffles Restoration Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026030679
Public Agency
Turlock Irrigation District
Document Title
Powerhouse Riffles Restoration Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/17/2026
Document Description
The Powerhouse Riffles Restoration Project is a mainstem Tuolumne River restoration effort designed to improve spawning and rearing habitat for Fall-run and Spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and Oncorhynchus mykiss. The Project will replace riffles that were scoured during high flows in 1997, 2011, and 2017, and will contribute towards non-flow commitments made under the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of spawning gravel will be used to construct riffles and gravel bars, which will create 4.8 acres of new gravel features, restoring 2,400 linear feet of the Tuolumne River. The Project will also add 49 large trees or rootwad logs as habitat features, and 80 boulders to provide hydraulic diversity in spawning riffles.
Contact Information
Name
Michael Cooke
Agency Name
Turlock Irrigation District
Job Title
Director of Water Resources and Regulatory Affairs
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Waterford
Counties
Stanislaus
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
Old La Grange Road
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resources Code 21080.56
Reasons for Exemption
TID has determined the Project is exclusively a project to conserve, restore, protect, or enhance, and assist in the recovery of California native fish and wildlife, and the habitat upon which they depend, and a project to restore or provide habitat for California native fish and wildlife. TID has determined that the Project does both of the following: (1) Results in long-term net benefits to climate resiliency, biodiversity, and sensitive species recovery; and (2) Includes procedures and ongoing management for the protection of the environment. The project will result in net benefits to climate resiliency by providing additional cool-water refuge areas that include salmonid spawning habitat, instream cover, and increased food supply in the lower Tuolumne River. The project will result in net benefits to biodiversity by restoring ecological function to the lower Tuolumne River, which will support target and non-target species that rely on the river. The project will result in net benefits to sensitive species recovery by enhancing Chinook salmon habitat on the Tuolumne River, as well as special-status terrestrial invertebrates and plants through native reseeding and preserving existing populations.
County Clerk
Stanislaus
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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