Coordinated diversions are a voluntary cooperative agreement between neighbors to schedule dry-season pumping so they are not diverting at the same time. When multiple diverters are pumping simultaneously, stream flow drops dramatically for the duration of the pumping event. However, we see a rapid recovery of flow after the diversions stop. If we can schedule diversions so they overlap as little as possible, we leave more flow instream for wildlife.

In sub-basins where there are multiple people diverting surface water for human use, this strategy can have a significant impact on maintaining enough flow in the creeks to sustain aquatic species.