BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT:
Title
Workshop on the Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort (FAHCE). (PREVIOUSLY LISTED AS ITEM 2.8)
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive and discuss information on the following topics:
A. History of the FAHCE Program;
B. Progress made to date; and
C. Next steps.
Body
SUMMARY:
In 1996, the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District filed a complaint with the State Water Resources Control Board over the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s (District’s) use of water rights in the Stevens Creek, Coyote Creek and Guadalupe River watersheds. The Fish and Aquatic Habitat Collaborative Effort was established to resolve this complaint.
In 2003, the District initialed a Settlement Agreement (SA) regarding water rights with the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service and a group of nongovernmental organizations, including Trout Unlimited, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, California Trout and the Northern California Council of Federation of Fly Fishers (Initialing Parties). The 2003 SA provides a roadmap for resolving the water rights complaint and for improving habitat conditions for fish in three watersheds.
Given we have new Board members at Valley Water, in advance of the next Stream Planning and Operations Committee (SPOC) meeting, the Board Committee members requested staff provide a FAHCE workshop for the entire Board to review the history of FAHCE, provide an update on progress to date, and discuss the timelines and challenges that lie ahead.
Staff will highlight key elements of the FAHCE SA, the ongoing monitoring program, and the 3-year pilot flow program in Guadalupe Creek and Stevens Creek. Staff will also walk through some of the completed restoration measures and discuss the next steps.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
Further analysis is necessary to determine the Environmental Justice impacts associated with this/these items(s) and will be included in a future update to the Board.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have the potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: FAHCE Program Overview
Attachment 2: Introduction to Fish / FAHCE Monitoring Program
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
John Bourgeois, 408-630-2990