Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed Council
Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed Council a project of Acterra 2353 Venndale Ave. San Jose, CA 95124 Tel: (408) 356-8258	Ongoing Projects Watershed Action Plan Fisheries and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project Water Quality Monitoring Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Citizen Streamkeeper Program Watershed Action Plan This project is the cornerstone of the Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed Council and its power. This plan will prioritize issues, assign responsibilities, and set achievable goals for the short term. The first draft was completed ahead of schedule. Draft available here for review. The plan was formulated by members of the watershed council with input from agency representatives, SCVWD, SCBWMI, environmental organizations, and other stakeholders. We need your help to make it better! Please comment on the draft plan with what you believe are the priorities of the Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed and, if possible, how these goals may be achieved. Please fill out the comment form and send any questions or suggestions to Mondy Lariz or Gary Bailey. Back to top Fisheries and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort FAHCE -- which is comprised of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the California Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Heritage Institute representing the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District, the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and the city of San Jose -- was formed in October 1997 to explore opportunities to protect fisheries. Since its formation, FAHCE has overseen removal of two barriers to fish migrations and construction of a fish ladder in the Guadalupe River. In addition, FAHCE initiated pilot studies to operate several local reservoirs to optimize summertime conditions for young steelhead. This process has also identifed several priority fish passage barriers on Stevens Creek which will be removed in the years to come. This year, scooping will begin for the programs EIR. Our watershed coordinator will be participating in this process. Back to top South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project The restoration process will be managed collaboratively by the California State Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game. This website provides information on all aspects of the project, including how you can get involved and contribute to the project. This project will result in large-scale restoration of wetlands from the San Mateo Bridge to southern edge of San Francisco Bay. This project provides an exceptional opportunity to improve the physical, biological, and chemical health of San Francisco Bay, and provide increased habitat for endangered species. The goals of the project are to: Click here for a Project Map Back to top Water Quality Monitoring Our VMOP water quality program is continuing to gather data at the 4 original sites on Stevens Creek and 10 new site will be added for fall 2006. We will also be sampling macroinvertebrates and sediments looking for a releationship between fine sediment and abundance of critical food sources for steelhead in nursery areas. Our partner for this study is the United States Geological Survey (USGS) located at Menlo Park California. This project was made possible by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Here volunteers prepare to monitor water quality at La Avenida near the Stevens Creek trailhead. Back to top Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the amount of pollutants that a water body can assimilate and still perform all its functions. Development of a TMDL for Stevens & Permanente Creeks will help us to regulate and monitor the health of these creeks and to identify problem areas. When polutants of concern exede these levels the Regional Water Quality Board will list that water body in accordance with 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. The latest 303(d) listings for our watershed are available here. Back to top Citizen Streamkeeper Program About 20 volunteers are monitoring conditions on Stevens Creek at least once monthly as part of our Citizen Streamkeeper Program. We train and empower citizens in our watershed to protect our creeks. Thanks to a grant from the Santa Clara Valley Water District we obtained needed funds allowing us to prepare course materials and conduct classes for this program. a picture of a coyote den in the upper Stevens Creek watershed. Back to top