Stanford Vina Dam Fish Passage Planning and Design Project
Restoring Habitat with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Proposition 1 Grants Program
(Cover Photo: Stanford Vina Dam; CDFW photo by Patricia Bratcher)
Project Vicinity
Quick Facts
- Project Proponent: Trout Unlimited & Stanford Vina Ranch Irrigation Company
- Focus Habitat/Species: Spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Pacific lamprey
- CDFW Grant Support: Planning: $418,408
- Location: Deer Creek Stanford Vina Dam
- Scale: 60 miles upstream
- Timing: Planning grant funded through 2020
- Funding Source: Proposition 1
- Priority: Protect and Restore Anadromous Fish Habitat
The largest irrigation diversion on Deer Creek occurs at the Stanford Vina Ranch Irrigation Company (SVRIC) Diversion Dam. Adult and juvenile salmon and Pacific lamprey must pass through altered flows and over the SVRIC Diversion Dam in order to reach high-quality spawning and rearing habitat. Currently, the fish ladders at the SVRIC Dam do not allow for adequate fish and lamprey passage. The SVRIC Diversion Dam Project will build upon preliminary design work funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create plans and specifications aimed at improving passage. The plans will account for both flows and barriers at the SVRIC Dam.
Aerial Photo of Stanford Vina Dam (Photo © Google Earth)
The project aims to:
- Meet criteria for fish and lamprey passage developed by CDFW and the National Marine Fisheries Service
- Develop plans that are acceptable to SVRIC
- Meet regulatory objectives for environmental permitting
These efforts will boost other fish and lamprey passage improvements that are being implemented upstream.
For information about other CDFW funded Deer Creek restoration projects, please see these links:
- Deer Creek Restoration Projects Overview
- Lower Deer Creek Flood and Ecosystem Improvement Project, Phase 1
- Deer Creek Irrigation District (DCID) Dam Fish Passage Improvement Project
- Lower Deer Creek Falls Fish Passage Improvement Project
- Restoring the Deer Creek Headwaters at Childs Meadow
- Deer Creek Irrigation District: Ditch System Master Plan
To see other Project Highlight StoryMaps like this one, see: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Watersheds/Project-Highlights
For Information on Proposition 1/68 Projects, please see: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Watersheds/Restoration-Grants/Projects
For further information, please contact: WatershedGrants@wildlife.ca.gov
