Land Trust Grants Goleta $100K for Fish Passage Project
San Jose Creek Project Moves Forward
The Goleta Valley Land Trust has granted the City of Goleta $100,000 toward the construction of the fish passage portion of the San Jose Creek Capacity Improvement and Fish Passage Project.
The fish passage component will provide a way for endangered steelhead trout to move to spawning areas when the water levels are low.
Steve Wagner, director of community services for the City of Goleta, said, “This is an important environmental and ecological improvement. By creating this passage, we can restore the ability of the steelhead trout to move upstream to reproduce.”
The Land Trust funding will help the city pay for the fish passage portion of the San Jose Creek Project. The city will continue to seek out grants from other state and federal sources to offset the project’s overall cost.
“We are very fortunate that the Land Trust granted us these funds,“ said Rosemarie Gaglione, capital improvement program manager for the City of Goleta. “This is a great opportunity for restoration and education and will create a point of interest along the creek.”
The San Jose Creek Project, which has been many years in the making, will ultimately provide a larger capacity channel for storm water runoff to flow to the ocean thereby reducing the flood threat to Old Town Goleta as part of the city’s Strategic Plan.
Wagner added, “We are very pleased that the San Jose Creek project is moving forward. This will be a huge improvement for Old Town and one of the first steps toward its revitalization.”
The city council approved an agreement for final design at the July 20, 2010, council meeting. The city expects to go out to bid on the project in early 2011.