Oakland, March 23, 2026
EBMUD’s Pinole Creek fish passage clears path to vital steelhead spawning habitat
Pinole Creek supports the only documented, self-sustaining steelhead population in Contra Costa County, as well as a population of resident rainbow trout. Today, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) announces it has successfully opened access to an additional 1.4 miles of Pinole Creek to migratory fish by removing the last remaining barrier to upstream spawning and rearing habitat.
- EBMUD’s Tomato Stand Fish Passage Project marks the final step in restoring Pinole Creek’s connection to the Pacific Ocean. Now, local steelhead that migrate out to sea can access all available habitat in the creek when they return to spawn. This vital freshwater corridor stretches nearly seven miles from the creek’s confluence with San Pablo Bay to its farthest upstream habitat on EBMUD’s Pinole Valley Watershed.
- For many years, a corrugated metal pipe carried the creek under a fire road that branched off Alhambra Valley Road near the city of Pinole. The culvert’s deterioration, combined with local erosion, made the culvert an impediment to fish migration, especially when creek flows were low.
- EBMUD removed the culvert, built an engineered creek channel to take its place, and installed a bridge that spans Pinole Creek, allowing water to flow naturally.
- The restoration work complements two prior downstream fish passages built along Pinole Creek. The first was completed in 2016 where water flows under Interstate 80, and the second was finished in 2018 beneath the intersection of Alhambra Valley and Pinole Valley roads.
The California Wildlife Conservation Board awarded EBMUD $967,000 in grant funding for the Tomato Stand Fish Passage Project. EBMUD matched that investment with $352,000, primarily in the form of staff labor.
“It is rare in the East Bay to have a creek that is open to the ocean so that the fish can come back,” said EBMUD Supervising Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist Bert Mulchaey. “To have a chance to take on a project like this, get the grant funding, and execute it is very special.”
In addition to providing primary benefits to fish, EBMUD’s enhancements will allow Pinole Creek to return to a more natural state, improving water flow, sediment transport and wildlife migration along the riparian corridor. The work may also improve migration conditions for California red-legged frogs and western pond turtles.
“The Tomato Stand Fish Passage reflects EBMUD’s commitment to watershed stewardship,” said EBMUD Board President Luz Gómez. “Our efforts to support fish and wildlife on Pinole Creek and elsewhere benefit from strong partnerships with community members, environmental organizations and other public agencies who share our vision.”
Other partners and contributors in Pinole Creek’s restoration at the Tomato Stand site have included the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Contra Costa County Resource Conservation District, Friends of Pinole Creek, and the Confederated Villages of the Lisjan Nation.
- PHOTOS: Construction of the Tomato Stand Fish Passage Project on Pinole Creek (Credit: EBMUD)
- MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Members of the media are invited to join EBMUD for a site visit to EBMUD’s Pinole Creek Tomato Stand Fish Passage Monday, March 23, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m. Visuals will include a new, engineered creek bed and bridge on EBMUD’s Pinole Valley watershed.
- LOCATION: Alhambra Valley Road, 1 mile west of its intersection with Bear Creek Road, near Pinole (37°58'12.0"N 122°12'57.5"W - Google Maps)