About Alameda Creek

The Alameda Creek watershed is the largest drainage in the southern San Francisco Bay region, encompassing almost 700 square miles and draining roughly the southern two-thirds of the East Bay. The southern portion of the watershed includes remote wildlands along upper Alameda Creek within Sunol and Ohlone Regional Wilderness Preserves and SFPUC watershed lands. The northern portion of the watershed includes the rapidly urbanizing towns of Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and San Ramon in the Livermore Valley along the Arroyo Mocho and Arroyo de la Laguna tributaries. The middle of the watershed is in the hamlet of Sunol and includes the Sinbad and Stonybrook Creek tributaries in Niles Canyon. The lower portion of the watershed includes the urbanized Tri-City area of Fremont, Union City, and Newark on the San Francisco Bay Plain. The watershed contains the highest peaks (Mount Isabel and Mount Hamilton) and highest waterfall (Murietta Falls) in the East Bay and is also known for natural landmarks such as Little Yosemite in Sunol Preserve and Coyote Hills at the creek's mouth.

Aerial view of the Sunol Valley looking south over Hwy. 680 at the Sunol gravel pits and San Antonio Reservoir, with the Little Yosemite Gorge and Calaveras Reservoir visible in the background.

MAP OF THE ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED

Alameda Creek and its tributaries historically supported anadromous fish runs of steelhead trout, coho salmon, Pacific lamprey and river lamprey, and possibly chinook salmon. Despite extensive urbanization, flood control projects, and major dams, Alameda Creek still supports one of the best assemblages of native stream fishes in the San Francisco Bay region. At least a dozen native fish species have been documented in recent years, including rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey, California roach, hitch, Sacramento blackfish, hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow, Sacramento sucker, threespine stickleback, Sacramento perch, prickly sculpin, and tule perch.

Adult steelhead thought to be native to Alameda Creek have been documented in the flood control channel attempting to migrate upstream during winter spawning runs from 1997 through 2006. Migratory fish are currently blocked by impassable barriers in the creek.

Documentation of steelhead and salmon in Alameda Creek

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ABOUT NATIVE FISH AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

Historical Ecology of the Alameda Creek Watershed