Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change

Using WEAP and SALMOD models, the study finds that climate change leads to lower summer base flows and higher water temperatures in Butte Creek, increasing adult thermal mortality for spring-run Chinook salmon. While ceasing water diversion for power production improves survival time, the authors conclude that simple operational changes are unlikely to prevent the long-term extinction of the species in this location.

• Climate change scenarios simulated via the WEAP model result in higher water temperatures and lower summer base flows compared to historical conditions, which the SALMOD model indicates leads to population declines and increased thermal mortality for adult salmon during the summer.
• Among the tested management adaptations, only the cessation of water diversion for power production from the summer holding reach successfully lowered water temperatures and extended the survival time of the population, though this comes at the cost of significant power production losses.
• The study concludes that spring-run Chinook salmon in Butte Creek are unlikely to survive in the long term due to climate change, as simple adjustments to water operations are insufficient to significantly reduce their vulnerability to extinction.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change. https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change |date=29 August 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011water, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }