Salt Ponds Restoration Action Alert
Your comments on salt ponds restoration could help Alameda Creek steelhead. Please take a few minutes to submit comments that could help create restored tidal marsh habitat for Alameda Creek steelhead! We’ve made it easy for you to submit comments.
The draft environmental review for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project has been released. The draft Environmental Impact Statement evaluates restoration alternatives for 2,270 acres of former salt ponds at Eden Landing, adjacent to the mouth of Alameda Creek. There are many project elements beneficial to native fish that are being considered - we’d like you to help advocate for these improvements. This is the opportunity to ensure that the restoration project connects Alameda Creek to beneficial nursery habitat for young fish in the restored salt marshes, so our steelhead can grow big before leaving for the Bay and ocean.
Public comments are due by June 5.
For the restoration of Eden Landing salt ponds to tidal marsh, the most beneficial alternative for steelhead trout in Alameda Creek would be Alternative B, restoring the entire project area to tidal marsh in one stage by major levee alterations and improvement. Here is what the Alameda Creek Alliance supports:
- We generally support Alternative B, restoration of all 11 southern Eden Landing phase 2 salt ponds to full tidal marsh, in one stage.
- Fisheries experts recommended full tidal restoration since it will provide the most amount of habitat for juvenile salmonids; and suggest multiple points of access to restored wetlands from lower Alameda Creek, the Bay and Old Alameda Creek channel, to increase connectivity between fish habitats and reduce predation risk for steelhead.
- We support breaches of existing levees to provide maximum connectivity for fish from the Alameda Creek Flood Control Channel, the Bay and Old Alameda Creek channel to the restored wetlands.
- We support construction of a pilot channel to allow passage of steelhead from Alameda Creek into the Bay Ponds E2 and E4. Rather than a water control structure at this location, we support a breach of the levee to improve fish access to and from the restored marsh, which we understand would not increase flooding risk.
- We support raising any levees in the project area where required to manage flood risk, to safely allow maximum connection of tidal marshes to lower Alameda Creek.
- We specifically support the proposed raising and improvement of approximately 2 miles of the existing Bay-facing levees of Ponds E1 and E2. This would prevent wave overtopping and subsequent scour and erosion of the restoring marsh in the Bay Ponds behind it; provide a habitat transition zone; and could make it possible to breach more of the interior levees to improve fish movement.
- We support all feasible levee lowering that does not cause flooding risk, to increase hydraulic and fish connectivity between channels and marshes.
- We support connections to Union Sanitary District treated water and ACWD Aquifer Reclamation Program wells to allow for freshwater and brackish water inputs to restored marshes, to create water habitat transition zones beneficial to fish.
Submit e-mail comments to phase2comments@southbayrestoration.org or you can submit brief comments through the salt ponds restoration website. Comments are due by June 5.
Regular mail to:
Brenda Buxton, Deputy Program Manager
State Coastal Conservancy
1515 Clay Street, 10th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
The environmental review document describes and analyzes environmental impacts of alternatives for tidal marsh restoration, improvements to wildlife habitat, new public access and flood protection at Eden Landing. More information about the environmental document is on the project website.
There will be a public meeting to learn more and discuss the document and potential restoration plans on Tuesday, May 8, from 6-8 pm, at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 3rd Floor Auditorium, located at 1 Marshlands Road in Fremont.