Lake County outlines multiple creek and shoreline restoration projects and reservoir feasibility work tied to hitch habitat

Lake County Watershed Protection District staff described a program of creek and shoreline projects intended to reduce sediment, improve fish passage and restore habitat for the Clear Lake hitch.

Angela de Palma Dowell summarized historic hydro‑modification in the basin — long straightened, deepened channels designed to convey water quickly — and explained how straightening and sediment accumulation reduce wetted habitat, groundwater recharge and the areas where hitch can spawn and juveniles can rear. “We don’t make enough money to do that, so that is not a realistic goal for all of the creeks,” she said, referring to continuous channel excavation and…