All in the details
(Excerpt from column)
By Tom Stienstra
Sunday, September 3, 2006
In Marin County, crews will work over the Lagunitas Creek Watershed downstream of Kent Lake over the next month to improve habitat for endangered coho salmon and steelhead, reports Libby Pischel at the Marin Municipal Water District. To reduce silt runoff that buries spawning gravels, a half mile of road and six stream crossings will be restored to their natural condition, dirt roads will be rebuilt and outsloped to reduce erosion, and 14 culverts designed to handle big storms will be installed.
At one time, Lagunitas Creek, also called Papermill Creek, had California's biggest coho salmon and steelhead, including the state-record 22-pound coho and a verified 30-pound steelhead (the state record is 27-4). Kent Dam, Alpine Dam, Bon Tempe Dam wiped out access to spawning grounds, and diminished water flows and silt buildup from storm runoff and erosion of dirt roads nearly wiped out the fish.
Improved numbers of spawning coho salmon the past two years provide hope of a better future. Two state grants totaling $191,000 will pay for 95 percent of the project, contracted by the water district.
E-mail Tom Stienstra at tstienstra@sfchronicle.com.
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