Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Jeff Miller and helper rescue and rerelease trapped Steelhead in Alameda Creek.
(Alameda Creek Alliance)
releases for fish as part of a project to rebuild seismically vulnerable Cala-
veras Dam.
“Here in the Bay Area, people will be able to go to Alameda Creek and
see the salmon spawning in the fall and Steelhead leaping upstream to
spawning grounds in the winter. That's huge, because there's no way we're
going to pass future bonds for restoration unless people see benefits from
all the previous ones,” Ramirez says.
Restoration will require not only releasing more water for fish but also re-
ducing human demand for the same water. California's water supply is fi-
nite. It is difficult and costly to engineer more supply (by building dams)
and to make that supply reliable. Reducing water demand via conserva-
tion by agriculture, industry, and urban users is an essential component of
any California water budget and restoration plan.
The motivation for conservation, however, has historically come from
water shortages and droughts—not goodwill and government mandates.
“Any time it starts raining for awhile, or we get an El Niño year, people
forget about the importance of conserving and recycling water,” says
