California Restores Sierra Meadows to Protect Water Supply

A restoration project underway in California’s High Sierra is aiming to strengthen the state’s water supply by bringing a damaged mountain meadow system back to life.

Crews are restoring nearly three miles of the West Walker River and surrounding floodplains at Pickel Meadow, located north of Yosemite. The project focuses on restoring the natural flow of water through the meadow, allowing it to better absorb snowmelt and gradually release water into rivers and streams.

Sarah Hecocks, associate director of the headwaters conservation program for American Rivers, said crews are removing a berm that was built by Caltrans about two decades ago following a nearby landslide.

"We're restoring the natural hydrology that allowed Sierra meadows to thrive for thousands of years," Hecocks said. "So the meadow can sustain itself with very little long-term intervention."

The berm unintentionally narrowed the river channel, causing deeper erosion and preventing water from spreading across the floodplain. As a result, parts of the meadow dried out and lost their ability to store water naturally.

The Pickel Meadow restoration project has been in planning for about 10 years, with construction beginning in mid-July and expected to finish by the end of August. It is part of the larger Sierra Meadows Partnership, which aims to restore 30,000 acres of mountain meadow habitat by 2030.

Matt Freitas, California headwaters program director for American Rivers, said these mountain ecosystems play a critical role in the state’s water future.

"Maybe only 2% to 3% of the Sierra is mountain meadows, but they store a lot of water," Freitas said. "They help clean that water and help release that water downstream during periods of low flow and drought."

Beyond water conservation, the project is also expected to restore wildlife habitat, create a natural wildfire buffer, and support climate efforts by bringing back native plants that store carbon in their roots.

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