FAHCE is the acronym for the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort, a collaborative process to identify actions to balance fish and aquatic habitat needs with Valley Water’s water supply operations. The program seeks to improve aquatic spawning and rearing habitat and fish passage for migration to and from the watersheds of the Coyote and Stevens Creeks and Guadalupe River. These actions include:
- Modifications to reservoir operations to provide instream flows
- Restoration measures to improve habitat conditions and provide fish passage
- Monitoring and adaptive management
Environmental and community benefits includes providing flows to improve habitat conditions; resolving water rights concerns; and complying with regulatory requirements. The program is funded through the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s utility fund.
Status of Environmental Review
Valley Water is proposing a Fish Habitat Restoration Plan (FHRP) to carry out the actions listed above aimed to implement the Settlement Agreement Regarding Water Rights of the Santa Clara Valley Water District on Coyote, Guadalupe, and Stevens Creeks, initialed by the Initialing Parties in 2003 (See History and background below). Following the publication of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) in 2015, and a scoping meeting in 2017, a Draft FAHCE Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for Phase 1 flow and non-flow measures under the FAHCE Settlement for the Stevens Creek and the Guadalupe River watersheds has been prepared. This EIR is a Program EIR that also provides project level review for some project components. The flow and non-flow measures identified in FAHCE Phase 1 for Coyote Creek will be analyzed in the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (ADSRP) EIR.
Next Steps
- Finalize Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs).
- Modify 15 water rights licenses with the State Water Resources Control Board.
- Obtain California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Lake and Stream Alteration Agreements associated with water diversions
- Secure resource agency permits
Fish Monitoring Reports (FMRs)
- FAHCE Fish Monitoring Program - (March 15, 2022 Version)
- ALERT System Real Time Data as a part of Valley Water's Surface Water Data Portal
| Year | Coyote Creek Watershed | Guadalupe River Watershed | Stevens Creek Watershed |
| 2022 | 2022 Coyote Creek FMR | 2022 Guadalupe River FMR | 2022 Stevens Creek FMR |
| 2021 | 2021 Coyote Creek FMR | 2021 Guadalupe River FMR | 2021 Stevens Creek FMR |
| 2020 | 2020 Coyote Creek FMR | 2020 Guadalupe River FMR | 2020 Stevens Creek FMR |
| 2019 | 2019 Coyote Creek FMR | 2019 Guadalupe River FMR | |
| 2018 | 2018 Coyote Creek FMR | 2018 Guadalupe River FMR |
History and Background
- History of FAHCE Program - (Updated 2021)
- FAHCE 101 Video - Overview of the FAHCE Program (As of January 2021)
- Completed Restoration Measures
- 2003 Settlement Agreement Regarding Water Rights of the Santa Clara Valley Water District on Coyote, Guadalupe, and Stevens Creeks
In 1996, the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District filed a complaint with the State Water Resources Control Board over the Valley Water’s use of water rights in the Stevens Creek, Coyote Creek and Guadalupe River watersheds. FAHCE was established to resolve this complaint.
In 2003, Valley Water initialed a Settlement Agreement (SA) regarding water rights with the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service and a group of nongovernmental organizations, including Trout Unlimited, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, California Trout, Urban Creeks Council and the Northern California Council of Federation of Fly Fishers. The 2003 SA provides a roadmap for resolving water rights complaint and for improving habitat conditions for fish in the three watershed areas.
Board and Committee Related Items
- Stream Planning and Operations Committee (SPOC) (formerly FAHCE Ad Hoc Committee)
- Board Agenda Items
- Other Board Committee Agenda Items
For More Information
- Ryan Heacock, Senior Water Resources Specialist, 408-630-3202
- Sarah Young, Senior Project Manager, 408-630-2468
- Tony Mercado, Public Information Rep, 408-630-2342
- Use “Access Valley Water” to submit questions, complains or compliments.