This project removed the last major migration barrier in the Carpinteria Creek watershed — an undersized bridge and 100 feet of concrete-lined channel with drop structures — replacing it with a clear-span bridge and a restored natural stream channel incorporating rock and large wood structure. Located in coastal Santa Barbara County, the project opened at least 1.27 miles of historic spawning habitat on the mainstem Carpinteria Creek for the first time in decades, benefiting federally endangered Southern California steelhead.
Location: Carpinteria Creek is located in coastal Santa Barbara County, approximately 10 miles southeast of the City of Santa Barbara. It begins in the Santa Ynez Mountains at an elevation of about 4,700 feet and drains a watershed of approximately 15 square miles, characterized by steep hillsides and canyons, before flowing to the Pacific Ocean.
Historical Presence of Anadromous Fish: Carpinteria Creek supports federally endangered southern steelhead trout. The Carpinteria Creek Watershed is listed as a Core 1 watershed in the NOAA Recovery Plan and was rated the highest scoring focal watershed by the 2002 Conception Coast Project, which assessed all South Coast streams for their potential to recover steelhead. Prior to this project, a series of barriers throughout the watershed had progressively blocked access to historic spawning and rearing habitat over several decades.
Project Lead Organization: South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR)
Project Partners: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Conservation Corps, Waterways Consulting, VJS Biological Consulting, Shaw Contracting, Inc., Sustainable Conservation, California Coastal Conservancy, NOAA, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Project Description: The project addressed the last major barrier to steelhead migration in the Carpinteria Creek watershed — an undersized bridge and concrete-lined channel with a series of drop and grade control structures extending 95 feet downstream. The channel’s steep slope and lack of roughness created a velocity barrier impassable for migrating steelhead. The project removed the undersized bridge and approximately 100 feet of concrete from the stream channel, replacing it with a new clear-span wider bridge and a restored natural stream channel incorporating rock and large woody debris pool structure. It was also the first project permitted under AB 2193, the Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Act, which streamlines California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulatory approval for voluntary habitat restoration projects.
Expected Completion: The construction phase began in late Summer 2015, with revegetation using over 165 native container plants completed in December 2015.
Project Effectiveness: The completion of this project now allows federally endangered steelhead trout to access all of the historic spawning habitat along the mainstem of the Carpinteria Creek watershed for the first time in decades. The project opened at least 1.27 miles of upstream habitat and is subject to five years of annual monitoring to confirm fish passage criteria are being met and that revegetation performance standards are achieved.
