Valley Water receives award for fish habitat project in South County

On May 15, 2024, Valley Water received recognition for a project that resulted in improved passage for fish, including threatened steelhead, in Uvas-Carnadero Creek in South Santa Clara County.

The Bolsa Road Fish Passage Improvements Project was named the 2024 Project of the Year Award by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Silicon Valley Chapter.

The APWA Silicon Valley Chapter recognized the Bolsa Road Fish Passage Improvements Project as a public works project that demonstrated excellence in its planning, design, construction and efforts between various stakeholders to complete the project. The Bolsa Project, located in Gilroy, stood out for its excellence in restoring passage for endangered steelhead trout and for restoring the creek's natural functions and its bed and bank stability.

Before the improvements, a substantial portion of the steelhead were not able to migrate up the previous fish ladder, which was undersized for an 8-foot vertical ledge that formed due to incision of the creek bed. The Uvas-Carnadero Creek banks were also failing because of an incision in the creek bed.

Valley Water improved passage by gradually raising the bed over 1,800 feet of channel length by creating a sequence of eleven riffles and pools. Now, steelhead have less than one-foot height to climb over each boulder riffle and rest in a pool. The improvements also provide steelhead with access to spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the watershed. Following its construction, all the steelhead were able to migrate during the winter flows.

The Bolsa Road Fish Passage Improvements Project is part of the voter-approved Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program, a countywide special parcel tax that provides approximately $47 million annually for local projects that deliver safe, clean water, natural flood protection and environmental stewardship.

The American Public Works Association Silicon Valley Chapter is an international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high-quality public works goods and services.