This project completed final engineering designs for the removal of three concrete low-water crossings on Davy Brown and Munch Creeks, tributaries to Manzana Creek within Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. One Munch Creek crossing will be removed and channel restored; two Davy Brown crossings will be replaced with stream-spanning bridges. The work will open approximately 3.1 miles of additional habitat in the Sisquoc River watershed — a Core 1 recovery priority — for federally endangered Southern California steelhead.
Location: Davy Brown and Munch Creeks are tributaries to Manzana Creek, which is the largest tributary to the Sisquoc River, located within Los Padres National Forest on the Santa Lucia Ranger District. The mainstem Sisquoc contains no fish migration barriers, making habitat in this area critical for the recovery of Southern California Steelhead in Santa Barbara County, CA.
Historical Fish Presence: The anadromous fish species that will benefit from this project is steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Southern California Steelhead is a federally endangered Distinct Population Segment. Davy Brown and Munch Creeks have good quality spawning, rearing and over-summering habitat, and the Sisquoc River is identified as a Core 1 recovery priority in the NOAA Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan.
Project Lead: South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR)
Project Partners: US Forest Service (Los Padres National Forest / Santa Lucia Ranger District); NOAA; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF); Waterways Consulting; Streeter Group; Santa Barbara County; Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; California Trout; California Coastal Conservancy; California Conservation Corps.
CFPF Funding: $44,538
Project Description: SCHR worked to remove three instream concrete crossings — commonly known as Arizona crossings — on these creeks: one crossing Munch Creek and two on Davy Brown Creek. The crossings act as barriers to steelhead trout migrations. The proposal was to remove one concrete low-water crossing on Munch Creek and complete channel restoration, and replace two low-water crossings on Davy Brown Creek with stream-spanning bridges to improve aquatic organism passage. This CFPF grant funded the final engineering phase, taking civil and structural designs from 90% to 100% completion. All environmental review and permits were secured by the Forest Service during this period. The work will open approximately 3.1 miles of additional high-quality habitat for Southern California Steelhead.
Expected Completion: Spring 2022
Project Effectiveness: Post-construction spawning surveys conducted during the 2024 spawning season documented resident trout spawning activity within Davy Brown and Munch Creeks upstream of the removed barriers. No anadromous adult steelhead spawning activity was observed upstream of the removed barriers during these surveys, though monitoring is ongoing.
