SFPUC approves CEQA findings for Alameda Creek recapture project amid ACWD concerns about steelhead flows

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on June 23 adopted CEQA findings and authorized the general manager to implement the Alameda Creek recapture project (project CUW35201), after a staff presentation and public comment from the Alameda County Water District (ACWD).

Ellen Levin, deputy manager for water, said the project—part of the Water System Upgrade Program (WSUP) and originating in 1997—would recapture a portion of instream flow releases from Calaveras Reservoir and bypasses at the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam to support habitat while maintaining water-supply reliability. "The releases from Calaveras Reservoir, together with the bypasses at the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam, are estimated to average a total of 14,700 acre-feet per year," Levin said, adding that estimated recapture is about 7,200 acre-feet per year (range 4,900–9,200). She described project components including floating pumps, discharge pipelines, a pipeline manifold, a new pipeline connection to…