Group sues San Luis Obispo County over endangered steelhead trout

August 25, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

Four environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Aug. 13 over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act in federal district court to stop San Luis Obispo County from operating Lopez Dam in a manner that drives threatened species such as the steelhead trout to extinction.

In 1994, a citizen complaint alleged that the county was failing to release enough water from Lopez Dam for endangered fish in Arroyo Grande Creek below the dam as required by law. The State Water Resources Control Board then warned the county that it would not renew its water rights permit until it operated in line with the Endangered Species Act.

Three decades later, the county remains out of compliance.

In 2004, the county drafted a planning document outlining protective measures for endangered steelhead trout and California Red-Legged Frogs, but it was rejected by federal agencies which found it inadequate. Recently, the National Marine Fisheries Service found that the county was still out of compliance with the law.

To remedy the thirty years of ongoing violations, the plaintiffs in this case — San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper, Los Padres ForestWatch, California Coastkeeper Alliance and Ecological Rights Foundation — ask the court to ensure the county releases sufficient water from Lopez Dam at specific times of the year to support wildlife.

The plaintiffs are also demanding the county include provisions for securing fish passage past Lopez Dam so that Steelhead can access historic spawning grounds in the headwaters of Arroyo Grande Creek in Los Padres National Forest, and commit to other essential upstream and downstream habitat enhancement needs for endangered species.

“Steelhead have thrived in Arroyo Grande Creek and throughout San Luis Obispo County since time immemorial, but now they are faced with extinction,” said Benjamin Pitterle, Director of Advocacy for Los Padres ForestWatch. “This is now a unique opportunity for local leaders to commit to sensible measures that balance the needs of people with the needs of wildlife.”

Steelhead are a keystone species for the San Luis Obispo region. In the 19th century, the San Luis Obispo and Santa Ynez regions supported the largest runs of Southern steelhead throughout their range, likely between 20,000 to 30,000 adults per year.

Steelhead trout are also an important cultural resource. For thousands of years the Chumash and Salinan people coexisted with steelhead and honored the fish which they fondly called “Isha’kowoch.” Mexican and Spanish immigrants spread word of steelhead during the California goldrush. And by the early 1900s steelhead had become a popular game fish, and fisherman would flock from all over during the winter months to capture giant steelhead.

In recent decades, however, the number of adult anadromous steelhead has declined significantly, to the point that it is now rare to see them in the wild. Steelhead abundance has declined from a historic high of roughly 25,000 returning adults to fewer than 500.

Despite these losses, federal and state resource agencies have identified Arroyo Grande Creek and its tributaries as essential habitat for the survival and recovery of South-Central California Coast Steelhead.