Pinkham Fish Passage Restoration - Carpinteria Creek

The Pinkham fish passage restoration project along Carpinteria Creek, represents one of the last barriers in the Carpinteria Creek Watershed. The project will replace an undersized rail car bridge with a wider and taller bridge. It will also remove 90 feet of concreted stream channel and banks. The stream channel will be regraded and the creek banks will be restored with native riparian vegetation. When the project is complete steelhead trout will have access to upstream habitat.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Pinkham Restoration Project Begins!

The Pinkham fish passage restoration project is now underway. Shaw Contracting has mobilized his equipment to the project site and begun to remove the concreted channel. The California Conservation Corps have been out on site salvaging willow and other tree material to be re-used in the re-vegetation efforts of the project. A few large trash cans were filled with water in order to keep the tree poles wet through the end of construction, at which time they will be planted throughout the disturbed areas. Shaw Contracting has begun to dismantle the existing bridge and demolition on the concreted channel and existing abutments.

The California conservation Corps worked to install exclusionary fencing around the project site and salvage tree stakes prior to the mobilization of heavy equipment out to the site.

The first day of construction began with the removal of the concrete downstream of the current crossing. Vince Semonsen, the Biologist for the project observes as the project gets underway. A hydraulic breaker bar was brought in to break apart the concrete in the channel and the existing abutments.

Working with the various project funders and partners, South Coast Habitat Restoration, is managing the grant funding for the project and coordinating operations between project partners. SCHR is a local non-profit organization based in Carpinteria that is dedicated to environmental stewardship and habitat enhancement. We emphasize steelhead trout recovery through a variety of watershed restoration projects throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

For additional information on the project please contact Mauricio Gomez at mgomez@schabitatrestoration.org 805-729-8787