California Trout and PG&E finished removing the last barrier on Alameda Creek, restoring a natural path for steelhead and salmon after 50 years. The work cost $4.3 million from NOAA Fisheries and shifted a gas line 20 feet below the riverbed, eliminating an 8‑foot drop that had blocked migration.

The project followed three decades of advocacy that opened 18 upstream barriers, yet a single concrete‑covered pipe kept fish trapped. Construction crews dug a trench, installed a new pipeline, removed the old pipe and regraded 1,800 feet of channel to a gentle slope. Engineers and biologists relocated frogs, fish and other species during the diversion.

Since the completion in fall 2025, biologists recorded the first salmon passing the site since the 1950s, and a PIT‑tag system now monitors returning steelhead. The effort showcases how infrastructure can be redesigned for ecological flow without sacrificing energy delivery. Alameda Creek may revive as a key stronghold for Central California migratory fish.

Project partners included NOAA Fisheries, California Trout, PG&E, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Alameda County Water District, and several ecological consultancies. A joint funding model split costs, allowing PG&E to secure a permanent, safe pipeline route while restoring natural stream processes. The restored corridor now supports higher‑quality habitat, encouraging future recovery of both steelhead and Chinook salmon populations.