D6: Restoration of Natural Creek Functions*

As of FY24, Valley Water has delivered both KPIs and completed Project D6!

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

KPI #1: (Hale Creek Enhancement Pilot Project)

In January 2023, Valley Water completed constructing the Hale Creek Enhancement Pilot Project, which extends from upstream of Marilyn Drive in Mountain View to Sunshine Drive in Los Altos. Construction began in June 2022, with in-channel work construction completed in November 2022.  The project’s purpose is to restore geomorphic and riparian habitat functions while improving flood protection along a 650-foot-long reach of Hale Creek. The project entailed widening and deepening the creek and restoring natural geomorphic and riparian functions by installing a soft-bottom channel planted with vegetation.

In coordination with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), this project has been prioritized and selected for a pilot study to restore geomorphic creek features in a confined urbanized setting.

As part of Valley Water’s commitment to restoring and improving stream channel natural functions, this pilot project will allow Valley Water to examine a new way of converting concrete-lined channels reaching the end of their planned useful life and establishing natural creeks with native plants and healthy creek habitat. Natural channels are more resilient to damage from more intense rainfall patterns caused by climate change.

Following the completion of construction, crews planted native plants along the improved creek channel. The revegetated site will be maintained under the three-year plant establishment and maintenance period, through FY26.

KPI #2: (Bolsa Road Fish Passage Project)

In March 2024, Valley Water completed constructing the Bolsa Road Fish Passage Project. Construction began in June 2023, with in-channel work (including riffle-pool structures, slope protection, benches, and hydroseeding) completed in October 2023. The project installed a gradually sloped riffle-pool stream complex and rehabilitation of the banks adjoining the riffles and pools to achieve a stable channel configuration.

The project restored the stream invert elevation after decades of channel incision and channel bottom lowering. The stream bottom is now elevated over existing fish passage barriers, including a Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crossing support slab as well as a non-functional Denil fish ladder that was previously installed to bypass the UPRR crossing. The steelhead trout passage downstream of the UPRR crossing has been restored to provide access to spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the watershed. The project also provides maintenance access for the riffle-pool system, restored banks and vegetation of Uvas-Carnadero Creek downstream of the UPRR crossing.

Following the completion of construction, crews planted native plants along the improved creek channel. The revegetated site will be maintained under the three-year plant establishment and maintenance period, through FY27.

The Bolsa Road Fish Passage Improvements Project was named the 2024 Project of the Year by the APWA Silicon Valley Chapter. The Chapter recognized the project as a public works project that demonstrated excellence in its planning, design, construction, and efforts by various stakeholders to complete it.