The fish passage project at the Interstate 5 Bridge Array and Metrolink Railroad Bridge crossing Trabuco Creek addresses one of the most significant fish passage barriers in Southern California. Trabuco Creek is the major tributary to San Juan Creek, designated a high priority Core 1 population in the National Marine Fisheries Services (2012) Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan.
This fish passage project is regionally unique in that it combines the latest in hydraulic engineering and infrastructure stabilization with restoration of sensitive riverine ecosystems and recreational access. Implementation will restore steelhead access to their historic habitats 15 miles inland to the headwaters. Over the past six years, this project has progressed through conceptual design, alternatives analysis, 65% development of the preferred alternative, physical model testing, and now into final design phase.
A recent article in The Osprey chronicles the challenges and successes of large habitat connectivity projects for sensitive aquatic species that depend on healthy waterways to survive in California. See The Osprey Spring/Summer 2023 issue at here starting at page 15, A Bridge Runs Through It.
Check out 3D Renderings and animation of both fish passage structures in the video below:
I-5 Fish Passage on Trabuco Creek 3D rendering and animation. Project Design Team: Northwest Hydraulics Consultants, Mike Love & Assoc (MLA), Gannett Fleming, Stillwater Sciences. CalTrout, Project Lead. 3D rendering by Travis James, MLA.
It is an art to thread the needle on different missions held by parties directly invested in the outcome through the project. A Cooperative Agreement process is underway, led by CalTrout, involving up to 16 Parties and primarily involving Orange County entities responsible for flood management and mobility. The project is a prime candidate for funding the construction phase through federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2022) and the Inflation Reduction Act (2022), which contain large carve-outs for Climate Change solutions.
Metrolink Fish Passage on Trabuco Creek 3D rendering and animation. Project Team and 3D rendering as for I-5 structure.
The Trabuco Fish Passage Project occurs on the traditional lands of the Acjachemen Nation, the Indigenous People who historically inhabited lands that became Orange County, and whose descendants currently reside in Orange County and environs.
We seek to partner with the Acjachemen in all aspects to implement this fundamentally important fish passage project to benefit an endangered species. Domingo Belardes of the Acjachemen Nation joined the USC Student Tour hosted by CalTrout in March 2023 and led us through historical history of the area.
Check out recent article by Francisco Martinezcuello, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) CalTrout Ecosystem fellow funded by UC-Davis and CalTrout here.
The fish passage project at I-5 and Metrolink bridges breaks down barriers on many levels not only to restore access and understanding of those that went before us, but to restore our watersheds for those that come after us.
We’ve seen salmon and steelhead rebound in other parts of the country where barriers are removed and habitat is restored. There’s every reason to believe it will also work here.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.