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Butte Sink/Sutter and Colusa Basins

Ecoregion in Central Valley, CA

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The Butte Sink/Sutter and Colusa Basins ecoregion occurs on nearly level to very gently sloping alluvial fans, floodplains, and basin floors that are split by the alluvium of the Sacramento River (Ecoregion 7e). Elevations range from about 20 to 150 feet. The Holocene basin deposits of silt and clay are covered by mostly fine-textured soils of low permeability, such as Vertisols. Winter and spring rains historically flooded wide areas, but these areas now are confined by artificial levees. There are no lakes in the ecoregion, but winter ponding occurs. Historical flood regimes likely contributed to seasonal wetlands and flat marshes. There is extensive agriculture of rice, and some orchards and pasture; however, the region also offers wildlife habitat for waterfowl and pheasant, and drainage canals support a warm-water fishery. Many of the rice fields are flooded and leased as private waterfowl hunting clubs in winter. In the western part of Ecoregion 7c, the Colusa Basin Drain is the single largest source of agricultural return flows to the Sacramento River. The natural vegetation historically consisted of perennial grasslands, but now is mostly annual grasslands, with some willows and cottonwoods along streams.

— EPA

Plants

Early Water Grass Echinochloa oryzoides (species), “Echinochloa Macrocarpa”

Butte Sink/Sutter and Colusa Basins

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