Valley Water reaches milestone in work to improve fish habitat in Santa Clara County

Over the past two decades, Valley Water and its partners completed more than 20 restoration projects in the Coyote, Guadalupe and Stevens Creek watersheds to remove barriers and improve in-stream habitat for fish. One of the agency’s most recent projects was removing a high-priority fish barrier in Coyote Creek and replacing it with a new pedestrian bridge and trail in collaboration with the City of San José.

These projects are all part of the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort, which will serve as a roadmap to balancing Santa Clara County’s water supply operations while considering environmental impacts.

On Aug. 8, 2023, the Valley Water Board of Directors certified the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort’s final environmental impact report. The document details how Valley Water proposes to release water from our reservoirs to balance water supply needs while also providing habitat for steelhead in Stevens Creek and both steelhead and Chinook salmon in the Guadalupe watershed. The document also details how plants, wildlife, fisheries and water supply will be affected under different scenarios for operations and what we can do to enhance the various benefits.

“Our effort to this point has endured some challenges and accomplishments, but the certification of the final EIR is a significant achievement,” Valley Water Board Chair John L. Varela said. “I’d like to thank the outside agencies and stakeholders who helped us reach this milestone. Our Board of Directors is committed to this effort and supplying Santa Clara County with safe, clean water while taking care of our environment.”

There are two main components of the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort, which is also known by its acronym FAHCE. The first relates to how Valley Water operates reservoirs to support water supply and benefit fish habitat. The second component is the actions taken by Valley Water to help restore instream habitat, like removing barriers.

Since 2003, Valley Water has completed numerous projects within the Stevens Creek, Guadalupe and Coyote watersheds. Below is a highlight of one project from each watershed. To learn about all the projects, please visit this story map.

Fish Barrier Removal at Singleton Road in Coyote Creek (2022)

Singleton Road crossed the creek bed with two small pipes, allowing water to pass through the creek. This condition posed a barrier to fish swimming upstream and impeded fish migration. Valley Water and the City of San Jose worked together to remove the old roadway and pipes and replaced them with a new clear span bridge complete with a pedestrian trail.

Stevens Creek Corridor Restoration at Blackberry Farm in Sunnyvale (2009)

Before the project, a narrow channel, irrigation diversion and three low-flow water crossings presented multiple fish barriers. To improve fish passage, Valley Water removed concrete lining the channel, stabilized and re-vegetated banks, removed fish barriers, installed features such as boulders and gravel to benefit habitat, and widened the channel.

St. John Street Stream Gage Weir Fish Barrier Removal in San Jose (2004)

Before the project, the stream gage weir was a small damlike structure with an abrupt drop. This created a barrier to fish migration due to fast-moving water. Valley Water replaced the weir with a riffle feature that enhanced fish passage and improved channel stability.

Valley Water’s work in habitat restoration is ongoing and our agency continues to look for opportunities to do these types of projects. Our agency does not own and operate all the sections of creeks in the county, so partnerships with other agencies will be critical as we move forward.

Valley Water also has a team of biologists who are dedicated to monitoring Steelhead, Chinook Salmon and other fish species as part of the FAHCE program. Recently, the team reached a five-year anniversary of these efforts. You can read about our work here.

Visit our website to learn more about the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort.