Plumas Watershed Forum

The Plumas Watershed Forum was formed in 2003 as a result of the Monterey Settlement Agreement. The Forum's purpose is to implement watershed management and restoration activities in the Feather River Watershed for the mutual benefit of Plumas County and the State Water Project.

The goals of the Forum, per the settlement agreement Section IV B,2,b are to:

1. Improve water retention for baseflow in streams
2. Improve water quality and streambank protection
3. Improve upland vegetation management
4. Improve groundwater retention and storage in major aquifers

The Monterey Settlement Agreement provided funding in the amount of $1 million per year from 2003 until 2006. The money was spent on a variety of projects and programs in the Feather River region, which are described on the Projects pages.

In 2010, a new environmental impact report was completed for the operation of California's State Water Project under the "Monterey Agreement." The environmental impact report was the subject of three lawsuits in Sacramento County Superior Court (Central Delta I, Central Delta II, and Rosedale-Rio Bravo). The appeals on the litigation ended when the State Supreme Court declined to hear arguments in January 2022. An additional four years of funding contributed to the Plumas Watershed Forum, starting with $1,000,000 received in March 2022. An additional $1,000,000 payment will be made for the next three years. The Watershed Forum will direct the distribution of the remaining $4,000,000 settlement.