Matilija Dam Removal Status

The Sespe Fly Fishers endorsed the Matilija Coalition's decision to not support Ventura County's Public Works and the Army Corps of Engineers' latest proposal for removal of Matilija Dam by permanently storing 2.1 million cubic yards of fine sediments upstream (above) the dam. The proposal undermines the basic objectives of the Matilija Ecosystem Restoration Project and will likely result in further delays to the project. The COE plan would result in a permanent landfill and associated hardscape flood control facilities within the high-energy floodplain of Matilija Creek. The proposal represents a significant departure from the consensus Alternative Plan 4b previously incorporated in the Feasibility Study and NEPA/CEQA environmental review and raises significant environmental, procedural and regulatory issues.
The County of Ventura has promised a detailed response to the Matilija Coalition by March 5, 2010. More to come on this subject.

Sespe Club Tree Planting

The Sespe Fly Fishing Club planted 63 native trees at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) Rice Creek restoration site on Saturday, Feb 13, 2010. A total of 14 club members turned out on a beautiful sunny morning. We planted 25 black cottonwoods, 25 sycamores, 3 black walnuts and 10 blue elderberries.
This is a continuation of the Sespe Club's recognition of Yvon Chouinard's commitment to preservation of the environment and support for local conservation efforts.
The Federation of Fly Fishers included an article on last year's planting day in "The Flyfisher" magazine winter edition.

Santa Paula Creek Steelhead Passage Blockages

A recent Ventura County Star newspaper article has spurred club interest in the condition of steelhead migratory passageways in Santa Paula Creek. The creek is the first major steelhead spawning tributary closest to the mouth of the Santa Clara River. The creek was home to migratory endangered southern steelhead prior to modern construction projects, poor design and subsequent lack of maintenance. The barriers are listed below:

Freeman Diversion Dam on the Santa Clara River: this facility and fish ladder was improperly designed and is a keystone barrier for the entire Santa Clara River watershed. All spawning tributaries are above this facility. Only a few steelhead have been documented to make it over the fish ladder in the intervening years. A NOAA Biological Opinion and threatened lawsuit by CalTrout has resulted in United Water Conservation District's agreement to redesign and modify the facility to enable fish passage. However the timeline is uncertain.
Army Corps of Engineers flood control channel and fish ladder on Santa Paula Creek: The creek has three major passage barriers, two of which are total blockages. The Army Corps of Engineers flood control channel and fish ladder facility is located about 1 ½ miles above the confluence with the Santa Clara River. The COE has budgeted $7.5 million to re-do the fish ladder which was improperly designed by overlooking the extremely high flows of rock and sand. It has never functioned as intended. It was damaged by high debris laden flows, filled with sand, gravel and boulders and is a significant barrier to passage. Fish are only able to make it through the “fish ladder” on low flows. The COE is working to get the project approved and out to bid by Sept 30, 2010 or the federal stimulus funds could vanish.

Harvey Diversion Facility: This diversion facility is located below Steckel Park. The fish ladder that was included in the original project has never functioned well and has had constant siltation issues. The lower end of the fish ladder is also prone to scour, preventing fish passage. Currently it is impassable and no water is diverted to the fish ladder. Hence no chance for steelhead migration until it is rebuilt. CA Dept of Fish and Game is said to be preparing plans for repairs, but funding is not available.
Hwy 150 Bridge washout: This is a CalTrans facility that washed out in the floods of 2005. It is located just below St. Thomas Aquinas. The concrete channel below the bridge failed and collapsed, creating an impassable water fall (much too high for fish to jump). Although there is CA legislation that requires passage barriers to be addressed wherever CalTrans must perform facility maintenance, CalTrans does not consider this failure to be part of the facility and currently has no plans to repair the damage. This is a total blockage to upstream migration.
There is an opportunity for the Sespe Fly Fishers to take an active voice in pressing for action to repair these faulty facilities and to help restore steelhead to this stream.

Comment from the News letter editor, Earl Arnold. Santa Paula Creek is my home water. I fished there with my father more than 50 years ago. A few years ago I was heading up the creek to go fishing and I saw a single mom trying to teach her son to fish. They were right under the bridge. I watched for a while and the grampa in me took over and I asked them if they would like to catch a fish. Ten minutes later the boy was into his first trout. There was always a trout in the eddy of the concrete pool just under the bridge. (They stocked the creek back then). I never fish there anymore because the oil seeping out of the ground gums up my fly line and wrecks my flies. Upstream is better. Except that now the DFG has closed Santa Paula Creek below the falls at the punchbowls. Why? To protect the Steel Head Trout that can't get there and haven't been able to get there since they built the Harvey Dam and the Freeman Diversion decades ago.

Santa Clara Steelhead Suit Settlement!

By Lloyd Wiens
Great news from CalTrout.  A settlement has been reached in the effort to restore steelhead migration routes and remove barriers to their movement in the Santa Clara River.  That river was the original source for steelhead and coastal rainbow trout passage and migration into Piru and Lockwood Creeks and numerous other tributaries in the Lockwood Valley area.  We can only hope passage into those streams will also be restored in the future and that the few number of those fish currently in them will be awarded the protection they deserve under federal law.  CalTrout's Press Release:

The Road to Recovery Starts Here

Beleaguered Southern California Steelhead may not know it, but their future just brightened - considerably. California Trout and the United Water Conservation District have reached an historic agreement that will protect the endangered salmonid by providing vital fish passage so that steelhead can access crucial spawning waters in the Santa Clara watersheds. CalTrout governors and staff are hopeful that this agreement will lead to Southern California Steelhead recovery throughout its historic range.

The agreement resolves a suit filed by CalTrout in January over the Vern Freeman Diversion Dam, an obstacle to fish passage on the Santa Clara River.  The agreement requires a panel of experts to work closely with United and the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine the best options to ensure necessary fish passage for Southern California Steelhead at the Freeman Diversion. The report from the panel will be issued no later than August 1, 2010, at which time United will begin to implement the recommendations to improve passage and establish a reasonable timeline for completing the project.

"The settlement allows maximum flexibility for the use of the best possible solutions for the fish while meeting United's needs. By agreeing and adhering to focused timelines that achieve quick and meaningful protections for steelhead, CalTrout and United have an opportunity to work together productively to recover an iconic representative of our state's natural heritage," says Nica Knite, Southern California Regional Manager for CalTrout.

The Southern California Steelhead has been federally listed as endangered since 1997. Dams and other barriers can interfere with the steelhead's migration from freshwater mountain streams to the ocean and back unless appropriate fish passage is provided. These impediments to steelhead migration present one of the greatest threats to their continuing survival. The panel of experts will perform multiple studies and tests to determine the effectiveness of the current fish ladder at the Freeman Diversion and necessary modifications to provide passage for successful steelhead migration.

The decision to move forward with this case was a "very big deal" for CalTrout. While this tactic can be effective - as it was in CalTrout's successful effort to re-water Mono Lake - it can also be costly. We thank our members and others who stood beside us to make this happen. Thousands of dollars were raised in response to a TroutClout sent last week to direct friends of the fish to a blog with more information and options to help support this effort and spread the word.

The road ahead for the Southern California Steelhead is still rocky.  But with this settlement, CalTrout has cleared a critical hurdle.  We are hopeful that this sets a precedent that we can use again to unlock the entire region for fish passage and the return of steelhead to their historic numbers.*  These are the first steps in a process that will unfold over the next two to three years.

To achieve this, we'll need your help.  Visit our Southern California Steelhead blog, freeourrivers.com , our facebook page or twitter page to stay abreast of the news and don't forget to give .