SAN JOSE – On Aug. 8, 2023, the Valley Water Board of Directors certified the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort’s final environmental impact report (EIR). The document details how Valley Water proposes to release water from our reservoirs to balance water supply needs while also providing habitat for steelhead in Stevens Creek and both steelhead and Chinook salmon in the Guadalupe watershed. The document also details how plants, wildlife, fisheries and water supply will be affected under different scenarios for operations and what we can do to enhance the various benefits.
“Our effort to this point has endured some challenges and accomplishments, but the certification of the final EIR is a significant achievement,” Valley Water Board Chair John L. Varela said. “I’d like to thank the outside agencies and stakeholders who helped us reach this milestone. Our Board of Directors is committed to this effort and supplying Santa Clara County with safe, clean water while taking care of our environment.”
Since 2003, Valley Water has completed numerous projects within the Stevens Creek, Guadalupe and Coyote watersheds. To learn about these projects, please visit this story map.
PHOTO CAPTION: In April 2022, Valley Water and the City of San Jose completed a project to improve fish passage in Coyote Creek. Valley Water and the City of San Jose removed an old roadway and culverts at Singleton crossing and replaced it with a new pedestrian bridge.