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Length:    85 mi
Discharge:
 average: 477 cu ft/s
 minimum: 0
 maximum: 81,000 cu ft/s

The Solano County Water Agency provides water to Lower Putah Creek for environmental protection and to meet valid water rights. Water is released to Lower Putah Creek from Putah Diversion Dam to maintain a minimum flow at the Interstate 80 bridge and flows downstream to the Eastern edge of the Yolo Bypass based on this monthly schedule:

Putah Diversion Dam

Mean Daily release (cfs)

Putah Creek @ I-80

Mean Daily Flows (cfs)

under the Arboretum Waterway Flood Protection and Habitat Enhancement Project

Early settlers redirected the creek to the south branch starting in 1971, but it keept braking thru and was finally stoped in the late 1800s,
in the late 1940s the Army Corps of Engineers added levees to what is now the South Fork Putah Creek.

East:

Putah Creek connects to the Toe Drain on the East side of Yolo Bypass.
The Toe Drain (sometimes called Prospect Slough) is a drain for the Yolo Bypass rice fields connecting to the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, which allows Salmon from the river to spawn upstream into Putah Creek.

North West:

The Monticello Dam was built between 1953 and 1957 creating Lake Berryessa.
Lake Berryessa is currently the seventh-largest man-made lake in California.
Zoom Out for Cobb Mtn. to Rio Vista (where Toe drain enters the River)

Source: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Viewing and Hiking | CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
See Research Gate and Toe Drain NR West Sacramento CA | USGS.gov

The Yolo Basin Story: Exploring the past, present, and future of the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area and the Yolo Basin Foundation

Recent Chinook salmon runs in Putah Creek have reached 1,800, producing young that swim toward the ocean by the tens of thousands. But, says Putah Creek streamkeeper Max Stevenson, this growing population still faces considerable obstacles.
See Reconnecting Putah Creek with the Ocean | Estuary News, 2023.
and Fishing in Putah Creek

Monticello Dam

Blocks Putah Creek to create Lake Berryessa.
Lake Berryessa is currently the seventh-largest man-made lake in California, Shasta Lake is the largest.
Some Other Familiar N. California Dams:
There are 90 dams over 200 feet high in California.

Dam	Height	Reservoir Capacity acre ft
Berryessa	304	1,602,000
Oroville	745 highest	3,537,577
Folsom	274	975,000
Shasta	521	4,552,200
Hetch Hetchy	312	360,000

Organizations:
Putah Creek Council ‭(530) 795-9000‬, 3373 Sackett Ln., Winters, CA.
Phil Stevens, Executive Director

Solano County Water Agency
Putah Creek streamkeeper - Max Stevenson, PhD

Yolo Basin Foundation Office and Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters- 45211 County Road 32B (Chiles Road). Behind the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife building.

Books:

Putah Creek: Following Through Our Commitments and Our Lives, 2008,577.09794

Exploring Putah Creek: from Monticello Dam to the Yolo Wildlife Area

News:
Water management initiative tackles Putah Creek concerns, Oct, 2024

Documents:
A History of the University Arboretum at the University of California, Davis, Marit J. MacArthur, September 2000.
Copy at the Archives and Special Collections in the UC Davis Library.
speccoll@ucdavis.edu, 530 752-1621

Links:
Timeline
Putah Creek |Wikipedia
Water management initiative tackles Putah Creek concernsPutah Creek Watershed
Putah Creek Riparian Reserve
Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
Putah Creek Riparian Reserve
Fishing in Putah Creek
Water management initiative tackles Putah Creek concerns
Putah Creek Whitewater | American Whitewater
Putah Creek Bouldering
Exploring Putah Creek from mello Dam to the Yolo Wildlife Area | Putah Creek Council
Why Exploring The Putah Creek Trailhead Will Make You Want to Hike Like A Local | Visit Vacaville
Putah Creek Trailheads and Maps | UC Davis Arboretum
Introducing The Putah Creek Corridor Past and Present | Kathryn Salfen Senior Project