Central California Traction Railroad Bridge Fish Passage Improvement Project
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.
This project will help to address these California Fish Passage Forum objectives:
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.
