Zanker Farm Salmonid Habitat Restoration Project
The Zanker Farm is located along a 1.5-mile reach of the lower Tuolumne River, from approximately river mile (RM) 45.2 to 46.7 upstream of the confluence of the Tuolumne River with the San Joaquin River.
Existing Conditions Report – Draft
The Zanker Farm Project (Project Area) encompasses the upper 1-mile section between RM 45.7 and 46.7. The Project Area is approximately 3.5 RM west of the community of La Grange, and approximately 28 miles east of Modesto.
The Project is situated in the Dominant Salmon Spawning Reach of the Tuolumne River, a reach defined by high salmon spawning use, agricultural land use, low valley confinement during high flows, moderate slope, and a gravel-bedded channel, as described in the Habitat Restoration Plan for the Lower Tuolumne River Corridor (M&T 2000). Restoration of the Zanker Farm Project Area is identified as high priority in the Restoration Plan due to degraded channel and habitat conditions following gold mining and streamflow regulation.
Restoration at Zanker Farm began in 2021 with a grant from California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to prepare a site investigation plan.