Fish ladder: River runs around it
By Jesse Phelps

Now that the permits are issued and the debates about feasibility have drowned into the recesses, the Casitas Municipal Water District is moving ahead rapidly to provide passage for the endangered Southern California steelhead.

Thursday was the day when the hopes and wishes of trout-lovers across the state were finally granted in physical action. At a groundbreaking ceremony at the Robles Diversion Dam in the Ventura River channel near Meiners Oaks, a mixture of environmentalists, fishermen, construction workers, reporters and agency and district representatives commingled to witness the seminal moment when years of talk finally manifested.

Said Jim Edmondson, Southern California manager for California Trout, a statewide conservation organization dedicated to wild trout and steelhead protection, addressing the gathered throng, "It's been said that the child of defeat is an orphan and the child of success has many parents. Congratulations, parents."

Amid the myriad environmental benefits, he said, there is an economic boon many people overlook when it comes to the steelhead. Communities with thriving, ecologically sound river systems, Edmondson said, tend to sport housing values, on average, $30,000 higher than those without.

He presented a mock check to the homeowners of Ventura County worth $30,000, drawing chortles from a variety of the attendees.
Representatives from at least six different organizations and several levels of government were in attendance to congratulate Casitas on its willingness to take action and each other for their various roles in the process.

According to California Trout estimates, less than 200 southern steelhead individuals currently exist. Experts believe that the Southern California steelhead could be the fish from which all other steelhead originated, the progenitor of the entire species.

The passage at Robles will provide them access to the lower reaches of the channel, up to the Matilija Dam. Fish advocates believe the reintroduction of some of their original spawning grounds could help boost the flagging population.

Jim Leckey, assistant regional administrator for protected resources at the National Marine Fisheries Service, said he appreciate the courage of the Casitas board for making the appropriate decision to build the fish passage.

He said that the importance of that decision cannot be overestimated. Quoting John Sawhill, former director of the Nature Conservancy, Leckey said, "In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create but by what we refuse to destroy."

Representatives from congressman Elton Gallegly's office and assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson's office, as well as former U.S. Rep. Bob Lagomarsino, all showed up to lend kudos to the various movers and shakers on behalf of the steelhead.

Casitas Board president Chuck Bennett started off the proceedings by comparing the joint effort of the involved agencies to a marriage, one where they agreed to open their new home to hundreds of scaly guests.

He gave a brief overview of the history of the project and asked those in attendance to consider opening their pocketbooks to help cover the estimated $9 million cost associated with the fish passage, also called a ladder or a fishway.

The passage will allow adult steelhead to traverse the river beyond Robles using a series of lifts during storm events. A protective, self-cleaning screen will prevent adult and juvenile fish from being sucked off down the pipeline to the lake.

But the focus Thursday was not on how the fishway will work but on how it took the combined efforts of about as many people as there are fish to make it a reality. Now, at long last, it appears it is.

Said Edmondson, "This event signifies a new era for the Ventura River and for endangered steelhead."

Meanwhile, in related news, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) entered into a cooperative agreement detailing a number of actions that will be taken to limit the impact of state transportation projects on the endangered steelhead in Ventura County.

Steelhead were allegedly harmed in a construction incident in August of 1999 that took place before a proper biological survey could take place.

While Caltrans has not conceded legal liability, it has "fully cooperated with NOAA Fisheries in developing measures that will provide greater protection" to the fish, said one NOAA Fisheries official.

As part of the agreement, NOAA Fisheries will train Caltrans construction engineers who work in coastal districts on how to comply with the Endangered Species Act.

Caltrans will also place a kiosk-style sign at two rest-stops along Highway 33. Each sign will contain educational information on the steelhead.

Caltrans will repair grade control weirs downstream of the Highway 150 bridge at Santa Paula Creek to help enhance steelhead migration. Construction projects will also be scheduled so that projects benefiting the fish will have top priority.

"This mutually beneficial agreement will help protect endangered steelhead during construction on rivers, creeks and streams while assisting Caltrans in meeting their requirements under the endangered species Act," said William Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries.

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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