2016 Projects
Central California Traction Railroad Bridge Fish Passage Improvement Project
Progress Report: August 21, 2018; August 2, 2017
Location of Project: 37.9881, -121.2657. This location is the railroad crossing over the Stockton Diverting Canal.
Description of Project: This project includes the Stockton East Water District (SEWD), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and California Dept. Water Resources (CDWR) to improve upstream and downstream fish passage at the Central California Traction Railroad Crossing (CCTRC) on the Stockton Diverting Canal at river mile 1 for migratory adult and juvenile fish species.
Description of why this barrier is a high priority project: This project is endorsed by numerous agencies.
The name(s) of the recovery plans and the specific task that name this barrier as a high priority: The California Department of Water Resources identified this structure as an impediment to migratory fish species in the Calaveras River Fish Migration Barriers Assessment Report (2007). Stockton East Water District, the USFWS, and the CDWR endorse this project as a high priority.
The California Fish Passage Forum has nine overall objectives. This project will help to address:
1.Remediate barriers to effective fish migration.
3. Identify, assess and prioritize the removal of fish passage barriers.
9. Implement education and outreach activities, targeting both the general public and fish passage practitioners.
Anadromous fish species that benefit from this project: Chinook salmon, steelhead/rainbow trout
Miles of stream opened as a result of project implementation: 13.4 miles.
Location and distance in stream miles to downstream river structures, and whether each structure represents an insignificant, partial, or total barrier to fish passage: Structures downstream of the project area on the Stockton Diverting Canal are Wilson Way Bridge and Wooden Bridge West of Wilson Way, which are both located at river mile 0.8 (0.2 miles downstream of the project). These locations were not identified as impediments to migration (CDWR 2007).
Location and distance in stream miles to upstream river structures, and whether each structure represents an insignificant, partial or total barrier to fish passage: Currently, two upstream passage improvement projects have been completed: Budiselich Dam (river mile 2 on the Stockton Diverting Canal) and Caprini Low-Flow Crossing (river mile 7.3 on Mormon Slough).
How will the project be evaluated and measured for success: Success will be measured by fisheries life cycle monitoring for Chinook salmon and steelhead/rainbow trout.
Manly Gulch Coho Access and Habitat Restoration Project
Finished project photos:
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Location of Project: 39.33505974 : -123.70058890 at the Manly Gulch crossing
Description of Project: The project will consist of restoration and minor realignment of 600 feet of Manly Gulch, a tributary to the Little North Fork of the Big River, to connect Manly Gulch directly to the Little North Fork. The project will eliminate annual juvenile coho and steelhead stranding within Manly Gulch due to sediment aggradation and sheet flow through parking areas and the floodplain; providing off-channel high-flow refugia for juvenile salmonids during elevated flows in the Little North Fork of the Big River; and provide access for both juvenile and adult salmonids to over 4,000 feet of spawning and rearing habitat in the upper reaches of Manly Gulch identified by Ross Taylor and Associates (2007).
Description of why this barrier is a high priority project: The PAD lists the Manly Gulch barrier is a temporal barrier; however, a fish passage assessment performed by Ross Taylor & Associates (RTA,2007) classifies it as a RED (100%) barrier for both adult and juvenile salmonid ingress and egress to and from Manly Gulch.
The name(s) of the recovery plans and the specific task that name this barrier as a high priority: A fish passage assessment performed by Ross Taylor & Associates (RTA 2007) recommends that “State Parks consider the treatment of this location as a “high priority” stream” by re-establishing the natural channel alignment of Manly Gulch with riffles and pools and installing a property sized crossing under Camp Road.
The California Fish Passage Forum has nine overall objectives. This project will help to address:
1. Remediate barriers to effective fish migration.
5. Coordinate funding mechanisms to remove fish passage barriers.
7. Facilitate plans to monitor and evaluate fish passage restoration effectiveness to ensure accountability.
9. Implement education and outreach activities, targeting both the general public and fish passage practitioners
Anadromous fish species that benefit from this project: Coho salmon, steelhead/rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey
Miles of stream opened as a result of project implementation: .75 miles.
Location and distance in stream miles to downstream river structures, and whether each structure represents an insignificant, partial, or total barrier to fish passage: There are no known downstream barriers.
Location and distance in stream miles to upstream river structures, and whether each structure represents an insignificant, partial or total barrier to fish passage: There are no known upstream barriers.
How will the project be evaluated and measured for success: This project has a monitoring plan to assess success in achieving deliverables.
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In 2018 the Forum nominated Big River to NFHP's annual list of 10 Waters to Watch and it was selected. Read more here
Juvenile Fish Passage Criteria Assessment Project
Project Location: Warm Springs Fish Hatchery at Geyserville, CA
Project Description: During the summer and fall of 2016, project leaders will document the leaping abilities of groups of 100 juvenile steelhead (70 – 120 mm FL) at the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery at Lake Sonoma. Approximately 12 tests will be conducted including video analysis and recording. Results will be summarized in writing and presented to the Fish Passage Forum in Spring 2017. Testing methods will be similar to those used in 2014, but two key variables will be changed that were unable to be tested in 2014 due to facility limitations.
It is well-documented that both swimming and jumping performance in salmonids is strongly influenced by water temperature. Because the hatchery has a flow-through water supply and no temperature control, only a narrow range of temperature (13C to 18C) was tested in 2014. Those temperatures do not represent the range of water temperatures encountered in the natural environment, especially in northern states and at higher elevations. In 2016, a chilled water loop will be added to the test facility and jump performance will be tested in water ranging from 5C to 13C. It is expected that jump success over the 6-inch weir will exceed performance over the 12-inch weir under the colder water conditions.
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Project Findings: The results of this study suggest that fish passage facilities with 6-inch jump likely provide a modest increase in percentage passage for small juveniles compared to 12-inch jumps, but not for fish >100mm FL. It is recommended that this modest increase in passage of smaller juveniles should be weighed along with other factors when designing a fish passage project, including cost, project footprint, and impacts on habitat. Additional testing is planned on both smaller and larger fish, and at different water temperatures, to further inform design guidelines. Read the final report here.
Results: In September 2019, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southwest Region reissued the Guidelines for Salmonid Passage at Stream Crossings (originally issued September 2001). The findings of this project helped inform some of the updates in the 2019 Addendum, which included two adjustments to the design criteria, and recommendations for intended applications for projects in California. These changes have the potential to help streamline state and federal guidelines regarding jump heights at juvenile fish passage facilities in California, which could save taxpayers and practitioners millions of dollars in the future.
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Pacific Lamprey Passage Assessment Database Project
Progress Report: 31 July 2017
Principal Investigator(s): Stewart Reid (Western Fishes) and Damon Goodman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (AFWO; Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative).
Cooperators: PAD - Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), and the Forum’s Science and Data Committee.
Project Purpose: The purpose of this project is to develop a standard PAD barrier assessment for Pacific Lamprey that would complement existing assessments focused on salmonids. Pacific Lamprey fields in PAD would allow use of FISHPass to prioritize barrier removal to aid Pacific Lamprey restoration efforts throughout California.
Project Description: Develop both historical and current Pacific lamprey GIS distribution layers in California, define Pacific lamprey data-specific fields for barriers, facilitate standardization of barrier assessments (including modifying existing PAD standard barrier assessment sheets and/or creating new Pacific lamprey-specific forms), and develop a plan to complete Pacific lamprey passage assessments in California.
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Current and historic known distribution of Pacific lamprey in the Pacific Northwest.
This Forum-supported project will produce similar information for California.
