Steelhead spend much of their lives in bay and ocean waters, with adults migrating upstream into freshwater when ready to spawn, typically returning to the streams where they were born. Santa Clara County steelhead are winter-run fish, meaning they enter rivers and streams in the winter when flows are naturally high due to rain, allowing passage to upstream spawning sites. Young steelhead remain in their natal streams for up to three years, gaining weight and size before they are large enough to survive in the ocean.
Through the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort (FAHCE) program, Valley Water strives to manage certain critical zones of our
steelhead streams, such as the reach of Coyote Creek just downstream of Anderson Dam, to stay cool year-round using strategic reservoir releases