Vision for Upper Penitencia Creek completed!
Jan 30, 2019
SFEI recently completed a resilient landscape vision for Upper Penitencia Creek in San Jose that integrates flood management and ecosystem support. SFEI and the Santa Clara Valley Water District worked with technical advisors and local stakeholders to develop the vision, which identifies a range of multi-benefit management opportunities that increase flood storage in a manner that expands recreational amenities, supports water supply needs, and enhances habitat for a variety of native fish and wildlife species. Over the next year, the District will use the vision to guide the development of project concepts and design alternatives for its Upper Penitencia Creek Natural Flood Protection Project. For more information, contact Amy Richey.
By:
San Francisco Estuary Institute
Associated Staff:
Other Contributors:
Amy Richey
Micha Salomon
Steve Hagerty
Programs and Focus Areas:
Resilient Landscapes Program
Historical Ecology
Watershed Science & Management
Related Projects, News, and Events:
Upper Penitencia Creek: Historical Ecology Assessment (Project)
Upper Penitencia Creek, on the eastern side of Santa Clara Valley, has locally significant potential for stream restoration and anadromous fish recovery. The Upper Penitencia Creek Historical Ecology Assessment documents aspects of Upper Penitencia Creek's hydrogeomorphology and riparian ecology prior to major Euro-American modification. It describes the historical (ca. 1850) channel alignment, dry season hydrology, and riparian corridor of the creek as interpreted from early maps, textual records, and photographs.
Upper Penitencia Creek: Resilient Landscape Vision (Project)
The San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center and the Santa Clara Valley Water District worked with technical advisors and a group of local stakeholders to explore a range of multi-benefit management opportunities along Upper Penitencia Creek, culminating in this Resilient Landscape Vision. The vision focuses on ways to expand flow conveyance and flood water storage from the Coyote Creek confluence upstream to the Dorel Drive bridge in a manner that works with the existing landscape features and supports habitats for native species.