Critical steelhead habitat in Gaviota Creek has come under scrutiny after emergency work this past winter destroyed the very section that Caltrans and the Coastal Ranches Conservancy had been working on over the past 10 years in planning to improve for fish passage. On August 31, Coastal Ranches sent a letter to Caltrans stating its intent to sue over the emergency repairs made in May.
The emergency began when rushing floodwaters in January 2023 ate away at the creek bank where it borders southbound Highway101 near the Gaviota Pass. The slope became steeper as the winter storms progressed, exposing a section in need of repairs for the last three years. To divert the water from the sidewall, Caltrans set a 1,000-foot-long, 36-inch-diameter pipe in the creek. It also left 25-30 feet of gravel and soil on the creek that hold the heavy machinery that is reinforcing the scoured bank.
Caltrans placed structures in the creek to avoid undermining the walls supporting the highway, but the emergency work bypassed the agreement to incorporate fish passage into the design, Doug Campbell stated in a letter to Fish & Wildlife. Coastal Ranches Conservancy argues that the current retaining wall project ignores California law that requires Caltrans not to maintain barriers to fish passage in road projects, and also ignores the Endangered Species Act requirement for an incidental take permit for a protected species such as steelhead.