A Fish Tale

Story by Jeff Weiss

Illustration by Mel Vera Cruz

 

 

 

 

Retrofitting the Alpine Road overcrossing in San Mateo County means treading in Los Trancos Creek, which, ironically, will be a good thing for fish.  Environmental law requires riparian mitigation, so Caltrans developed a plan to reconstruct the creek to allow the passage of steelhead, which once used the stream as a spawning ground.

The creek is cluttered with obstacles to fish migration, including gabion mattress, rocks bundled in wire, used to prevent flooding.  With steelhead populations in decline, the need for habitat restoration outstrips outdated methods of flood control. The Caltrans plan allows fish passage and prevents flooding by widening and deepening the channel.

Caltrans and Stanford University share an interest in the project. The creek flows through a watershed, where the university owns two reservoirs. As part of further mitigation, Caltrans may plant trees on university property.