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SFPUC staff outline Alameda Creek watershed work, fish passage and habitat plan
Summary
Division manager Tim Ramirez briefed the commission on Alameda Creek watershed geography, barriers to steelhead passage, habitat conservation planning, monitoring and proposed restoration measures. Staff said technical modeling and interagency coordination will inform an HCP and Calaveras Dam environmental review.
Tim Ramirez, Division Manager for Natural Resources and Lands Management, told the commission the SFPUC is pursuing coordinated watershed work in Alameda Creek that spans private and public lands and requires partner cooperation. "This map predates my arrival to the PUC 4 years ago and was developed by the work group in the watershed to illustrate all the many things that are happening and the different fighters that are involved," Ramirez said. He described barriers to anadromous fish migration such as the BART Weir and Alameda County Water District rubber dam and said fish ladders and other passage measures are being planned with downstream partners.
Ramirez explained the agency is developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to provide state and federal coverage for routine operations and maintenance and to integrate biological assessments and monitoring data. He said the Calaveras Dam draft EIR and a National Marine Fisheries Service biological assessment have been circulated to partners and that the HCP should be presented for public review in 2011. "We're using that information to populate our own fisheries analyses so that we have a common foundation to work from," he said.
Commissioners pressed for data on outcomes after dam removals and on flow‑release modeling that will guide passage and operations decisions. Ramirez said monitoring (including radio‑tagging rescued adult fish) is ongoing and that the draft biological assessment has received comments from agencies and NGOs; staff will incorporate comments before presenting the documents to the commission and planning agencies.
Ramirez also highlighted land‑use tools such as easements and leases (including for grazing and sustainable agriculture education) the SFPUC is using to protect watershed values. He framed watershed work as a mix of water‑supply operations, environmental mitigation and public‑access planning, and asked commissioners to expect further technical briefings as comment periods close and modeling results are refined.
