In the upper watershed, Pinole Creek maintains a self-sustaining steelhead/rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) population, which is listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.
In 2016, completion of the Pinole Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project at Highway 80 removed the only significant barrier to fish passage and hydrologically reconnected habitat in the upper watershed with the San Pablo and San Francisco Bay Estuaries.
The Pinole Fish Passage Project is the capstone of a comprehensive, multi-year, habitat restoration effort between multiple agencies, including the Contra Costa County Resource Conservation District.
To learn more, please visit the Steelhead Passage sign at the fish passage site.
