D4: Fish Habitat and Passage Improvement*

See Environmental & Community Benefits section for complete description of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

KPI #1: (Planning and design for creek/lake separation) - COMPLETED

Almaden Lake:

• On May 11, 2021, the Board certified the Final Environmental Impact Report. Click here to read the report.
• The planning phase of the project was completed in 2019.
• Valley Water closed out the design phase in FY24.

KPI #2: (Partially construct creek/lake separation)

Ogier Ponds: Coyote Creek runs through Ogier Ponds, which are six large, abandoned mining pits. Currently, fish get lost and cannot find their way out of the ponds, leaving them vulnerable to non-native predatory fish and to the ponds’ rising temperatures that can impact fish growth and health. Since 2016, Valley Water and Santa Clara County Department of Parks and Recreation have studied the potential of separating Ogier Ponds from Coyote Creek to improve fish passage. Based on that work, Valley Water decided to include the Ogier Ponds-Coyote Creek Separation Project as part of the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (ADSRP) conservation measure.

• Finalizing the Planning Study Report, including adding new information about real estate requirements for the Staff-Recommended Alternative in FY26.
• Preparing a geotechnical investigation report for design phase in FY26.
• Design is expected to begin in FY27.
• Construction will be coordinated with ADSRP completion (currently 2032).

KPI #3: (Fish passage improvements)

Moffett Fish Ladder: In FY23, Valley Water selected the Moffett fish ladder on Stevens Creek for fish passage improvement.  A planning study report is being prepared to define problems with the existing structure, present options to improve the structure, receive input from stakeholders, and identify a staff-recommended alternative for design and construction.

This fish barrier is ranked seventh in Valley Water’s fish passage barrier prioritization report for Stevens Creek (Stevens Creek Fish Passage Remediation Prioritization: August 2021). Poor fish passage performance at this facility results from debris clogging in the ladder and poor attraction flows at the entrance. Key milestones include:

• Completed Draft Feasible Alternatives Report in FY25.
• Currently finalizing the Planning Study and Staff Recommended Alternative Reports.
• Design is expected to begin in FY27 with construction expected to start by FY28.

Singleton Road Fish Barrier: In October 2021, the City of San José, in partnership with Valley Water, completed construction of an interim bridge, replacing the previous Singleton Road low-water crossing over Coyote Creek. Valley Water provided $1.0 million in cost-share funding to the city for construction. Valley Water also provided the city with project design services and permitting assistance. The low-water crossing presented a critical barrier to fish passage and its removal has increased migratory fish access to about 17 miles of upstream Coyote Creek riparian corridor including access to the cold-water management zone.

• Monitoring results demonstrate no unanticipated creek bed erosion in the vicinity of the new bridge or habitat features.
• Valley Water will continue performance monitoring through 2031.

KPI #4: (Steelhead stream study update)

The fish passage analysis and assessment phase—consisting of topographic surveys and the development of streamflow models is ongoing. To identify potential barriers and ensure the accurate topographic representation of fish passage conditions during the modeling and analysis phase, extensive surveys are ongoing and expected to be completed in FY26.  Significant coordination with private property owners was needed to gain access to their properties for the surveys. Staff is currently using the topographic survey data to develop models for evaluating fish passage conditions at the identified potential impediments. Staff expect to complete the fish passage impediment removal prioritization study for Guadalupe Creek, Alamitos Creek, and Arroyo Calero in FY27. 

KPI #5: (Habitat enhancement projects)

Uvas Creek: In August 2022, Valley Water completed the construction of the large woody debris and gravel augmentation (LWDGA) project to improve the fish habitat along Uvas Creek in Gilroy. The project is designed to increase instream habitat diversity, shelter complexity, and the amount of instream shelter at three sites along Uvas Creek. The design of Site 1, located approximately 1,200 feet downstream of Santa Teresa Boulevard, consisted of an engineered log jam (ELJ) of rootwad logs on the right bank intended to create hydraulic complexity and increase shelter cover and complexity. The ELJs for Sites 2 and 3, located 1,500 feet and 600 feet upstream of Miller Avenue, included a bar apex jam at each site designed to cause channel bifurcation and increase habitat complexity.

Staff is coordinating with the Anderson Dam Tunnel Project (ADTP) team to provide support for implementation of the Live Oak Restoration Reach in FY27. The Live Oak Restoration Reach is a fish habitat enhancement project that helps mitigate impacts from the ADTP.

April 2026