By Theresa-Marie Wilson
Plans to create a thriving watershed in Pismo Creek are swimming along. Cleaner water, improved native habitat and increased populations of steelhead trout are all part of the Pismo Creek Estuary Restoration Plan.
The watershed area begins beneath the Highway 101 bridge complex, runs adjacent to the Pismo Beach State Campground and into the ocean.
Central Coast Salmon Enhancement (CCSE) is actively working in multiple areas to characterize and restore Pismo Creek predominantly through changes in water flow and determining necessary requirements to support native Steelhead trout in a study funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Restoration Grant Program.
“The importance, of course, is the estuary where salt and fresh water mix,” CCSE watershed projects manager Stephanie Wald told the Pismo Beach City Council at a recent meeting. “It is very, very rich in wildlife. It is home to a great number of critters including tidewater goby, steelhead trout, southwestern pond turtles and many, many birds and other wildlife.”
As part of the plan, water quality in the creek was investigated assessing dissolved oxygen levels, temperature, and turbidity; habitats within the estuary including vegetation on the banks and the upland areas were studied; and the channel bed, or bottom of the estuary creek, that leads into fresh water was also investigated.
The City, State Parks, landowners, and stakeholders were involved in the vision process that integrates clean water, flood protection, increased estuary habitat in city parks, and public access up and down the area. CCSE has been working in the watershed for the past 10 years.
Topping priority action recommendations is to increase dry season water in-flow to the creek.
“One way, basically, is to take less out,” Wald said. “Another is to decrease the impervious area adjacent to and upstream of the estuary.”
In addition to using less water, Wald said a system could be set up to collect rainwater in water storage units.
“It is being done all over the state,” Wald said. “We don’t have a lot of examples here, but you basically are collecting highflow water. You can use that water to increase base flows in the low-flow period of the year. We are looking at how this might work with landowners. We are looking for volunteers to try this out. Because we are in such dire straights, we don’t expect this is something that folks are going to run after right away. This river water that is now in its fourth year of drought needs our attention more than ever,” Wald said.
Because of the lack of rain, CCSE had to extend the timeline for the instream flow study in Pismo Creek. The study will help determine areas where efforts would have the highest positive outcome.
“Until that study, we won’t have a real good fix on where exactly in the watershed we want to target some of those more specific methods and tools to improve habitat,” Wald said.
Also making the priority list are decreasing dry season bacterial and nutrient loading, which would exclude livestock, dogs and humans from the channel, a call for a reduction in fertilizer usage throughout the watershed and improving runoff filtration.
Restoration plans also include removing and replacing non-native vegetation, increasing riparian vegetation cover and increasing marsh plant life as well as improved hydraulic and geomorphic conditions, which would include modifying the channel gradients and installation of channel structures.
At the heart of CCSE’s goals is to reduce factors that are limiting the population numbers for the threatened steelhead such as food and cover. The fish migrate from a marine environment into the freshwater streams and rivers of their birth in order to mate. Populations have declined dramatically up and down the state.
“The reason for the planning process is to improve the management of aquatic resources,” Wald said. “That’s what Central Coast Salmon Enhancement is in the business of doing, particularly for steelhead trout. The recommendations will go a long way in improving depth, providing cover, and improving water quality for steelhead and lots of other critters that make the estuary their home.”
The estuary and watershed are considered a federal recovery watershed for steelhead.
“This is a voluntary recovery plan for steelhead trout,” Wald said. “We will continue to try to bring funding and habitat improvements working with the City and other interested folks. We will continue to collect data.”
CCSE is dedicated to protecting and understanding area watersheds and their fisheries. Through education and engagement, the organization aims to ensure that natural resources continue to support the ecological, recreational and economic needs of the community.
