FishNet Counties Tackle Fish Passage Barriers
Since 2001, FishNet Counties have completed fish passage evaluations on 290 county road crossings in Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties. Each structure was evaluated using Fish Xing software, and rated using a “green-gray-red” coding system that indicates the degree to which the structure impedes passage for both adult and juvenile salmonids. Structures were prioritized for remediation based on assessment results, quality and quantity of existing habitat, and local salmonid populations.
FISH PASSAGE BARRIER PROJECTS IN THE FISHNET COUNTIES
BIG NEWS for the Thorne Road Crossing on Arroyo Seco River!
Monterey County Public 
Works Department was successful in obtaining over $7 million in Federal and State funding
to remove a major steelhead barrier at Thorne Road in the Arroyo Seco watershed,
an important steelhead tributary to the Salinas River. Once considered impossible
because of the cost, this project will finally come to fruition, thanks to a
Fisheries Restoration Grant from California Department of Fish and Game, and funding from the Federal Highways Administration. When the project is completed in 2008,
the Arroyo Seco River will flow freely under a clear span
bridge, and the existing low water crossing and failing fish ladder will be
long gone.
Goldridge Resource Conservation District in Partnership with Sonoma County Public Works
Twin undersized, aging culverts blocked fish passage on Tyrone Gulch, a tributary to Dutch Bill Creek in West Sonoma County. The Goldridge Resource Conservation District wrote the grant to replace the culverts with a clear span bridge, allowing migration up and downstream for juvenile and adult salominds. Sonoma County Public Works came in and completed construction on the project in 2004. Endangered coho salmon have recently been sighted in Dutch Bill Creek, making this a high priority for county efforts.
See
before and after photos of Tyrone Gulch Fish Passage Project.
Sonoma County Water Agency Removes Dams to Restore Fish Passage
for Salmon and Steelhead 
The Mumford Dam Fish Passage and Riparian Restoration Project was implemented by a partnership between the Sonoma County Water Agency, California Department of Fish and Game, Coastal Conservancy, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and American Rivers. The removal of the dam buttress and construction of downstream weirs created fish passage over a major barrier to anadromous fish migration on the main stem of the Russian River. You can visit the Sonoma County Water Agency's web site to see a more detailed project description with plenty of good photos.
The objectives of the Crocker Creek Dam Removal Project were to restore anadromous fish passage to
the Crocker Creek watershed and stabilize eroding stream banks in the vicinity
of the Crocker Creek Dam. The dam, which was originally built in the early 1900s, collapsed in 1995, inundating the downstream area with sediment that had been trapped behind the structure. A significant objective of the project was to stabilize streambanks adjacent to and upstream of the failed dam, as well as removing the remnants of the dam.
More information on this project is available
on the SCWA's restoration projects web site.
Marin County Targets Woodacre Creek for Coho Salmon Restoration 
In the summer of 2005, Marin County Public Works jumped into fish passage restoration efforts with gusto. The Public Works Department's fisheries restoration program is focusing on efforts in the Lagunitas Creek watershed- home to approximately 10% of California’s wild coho salmon. Woodacre Creek has a number of fish passage barriers that the County will be removing in the upcoming years. For a look at the top dozen priority projects for Marin County Public Works: Marin County Fish Passage Priorities. As of 2007, the program has removed five barriers, created designs for seven more, and is seeking funding for implementation of these designs.
Woodacre Creek at Crescent Drive - This undersized culvert with a perched outlet creates a barrier to juvenile salmonids. Restoration included replacement with an open bottom arch, daylighting 300’ of stream channel which previously ran under a tennis court, and extensive streambank restoration. This project, completed in 2006, opened up 1,700 feet of fish habitat for salmonids migrating upstream. Cooperative landowners at the Woodacre Improvement Club made this project a priority for the salmon.
Coho Recovery Actions Taken in Santa Cruz County
Queseria Creek, tributary to Scotts Creek; Santa Cruz County Public Works – In 2004, Santa Cruz County Public Works replaced an undersized, perched outlet culvert on Queseria Creek- a coho salmon and steelhead tributary to Scotts Creek. The original culvert was a velocity barrier for all life stages of fish. Road flooding and streambank washouts were common place. The project, completed in collaboration with landowner Cal Poly State University, included extensive stream channel restoration and riparian replantings.
San Mateo County Parks - Active FishNet Partners in Salmon Restoration
Pescadero Creek; San Mateo County Memorial Park - County Park staff have been successful in obtaining funding from the Department of Fish and Game for removal of two serious fish passage barriers in close proximity on Pescadero Creek- an important coho salmon and steelhead trout stream. The two projects involve replacement of a low-water crossing at Sequoia Flats, and removal of a flashboard dam. Construction on both projects, which should begin in 2008, will open up almost 60 miles of habitat.
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