Lower American River Roundtable

The Lower American River Roundtable provides a venue for agencies and other stakeholders to share information about projects on the LAR related to flood management, resource management, public access, and more. 

Please contact the Water Forum to be added to the LAR Roundtable mailing list to receive meeting materials, announcements, and updates.

The Lower American River Roundtable (LAR Roundtable or LARRT) provides a venue for agencies and other stakeholders to share information about projects on the LAR related to flood management, resource management, public access, and more.  The Roundtable continues the broad information-sharing role historically served by the LAR Task Force and remains open to stakeholders and interested members of the public.

Click the links below to learn about:

    Upcoming Meetings

    The Roundtable meets biannually; 2026 meeting dates include:

    • March 10, 1-3 p.m. – Agenda to come
    • September 8, 1-3 p.m.

    Join us in person or via Zoom.
     
    In Person
    Water Forum Office
    1330 21st Street, Suite 103
    Sacramento, CA 95811
     
    Join via Zoom
    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84301478292
    Meeting ID: 843 0147 8292
    Passcode: 504478


    One-Tap Mobile
    +1 669 444 9171,,84301478292#,,,,*504478#

    LAR Roundtable Purpose

    Through information sharing and discussion, the Roundtable is intended to:

    • Provide a holistic picture for all stakeholders of work being done on the LAR and the parkway;
    • Enhance relationships and a culture of collaboration by providing opportunities for dialogue and putting names and faces to agencies and groups working on the LAR;
    • Direct participants to appropriate venues for more information, coordination, or opportunities for advocacy; and
    • Establish an ongoing touchpoint and a means to share institutional knowledge across stakeholder groups.

    Past Meeting Materials

    The first meeting of the LAR Roundtable will be on March 10, 2026.

    Complementary Informational Venues

    Lower American River Science Share

    The 2026 Science Share will be on June 9, 2026, 12-4 p.m. Click here for more information about Science Share.

    Lower American River Flood Preparedness Workshop

    The annual Flood Preparedness Workshop, to be convened by SAFCA and Department of Water Resources, plans to focus specifically on the regional flood protection system. The workshop will aim to provide updates on system operations and maintenance and coordination among federal, state, and local flood management partners.  The inaugural workshop is anticipated in late fall 2026.

    The Legacy of the Lower American River Task Force

    The Lower American River Task Force (LARTF) was convened in 1994, with the major objective to identify opportunities for improving existing flood control facilities and management strategies along the lower American River while at the same time protecting and enhancing existing environmental and recreational resources in the American River Parkway.  LARTF membership consisted of local, state, and federal agencies, as well as environmental and public interest groups.   While the group had several iterations, the LARTF met quarterly from 2008 to 2024.

    Collaboration in the LARTF had meaningful impacts on the LAR. In 2002, Task Force participants collaborated in preparing the Lower American River Corridor Management Plan (RCMP) to successfully provide a framework for integrated management of this reach of the river (link to executive summary).  In 2016, the American River Common Features Project (ARCFP) authorized up to 11 miles of new erosion protection along the LAR. By 2024 the ultimate footprint for the Project was reduced to only six miles, due in large part to discussion within the LARTF’s technical working groups.

    Thirty years after the establishment of the LARTF, the focus and the needs for engagement of the many agencies and other entities working on the lower American River were shifting and planning for the ARCFP was substantially complete. 

    Additionally, Science Share evolved from the former Fisheries and In-Stream Habitat (FISH) Working Group, established in 2000 to develop the FISH Habitat Management and Restoration Plan (FISH Plan).  It included more than 45 diverse stakeholders. The most recent (2019) draft of the FISH Plan can be found here.

    In 2024, a survey distributed by the LARTF conveners – SAFCA and the Water Forum – showed that participants deeply valued the quarterly LARTF meetings as a venue for information sharing and opportunity for coordination on the LAR. And while there are multiple venues discussing different aspects of management of the LAR, the LARTF is unique in providing a cross-jurisdictional holistic perspective of activities on the river. 

    In 2025 Water Forum piloted the Lower American River Roundtable, a venue for agencies and other stakeholders to continue to share information about projects on the LAR related to flood management, resource management, public access, and more.

      Past Meeting Materials
      Other LARTF Information

      LARTF 1994 Mission Statement

      Bank Protection Working Group: This working group was initially formed in the mid-1990s to inform pressing levee stabilization efforts at that time, was re-formed in 2015 to help advise, plan, design, and implement bank protection features along the lower American River. A primary goal of the BPWG was to support federal, state, and local efforts to provide the highest level of flood protection for the surrounding community and the conservation of irreplaceable natural resources along the American River Parkway.