As part of implementation activities of the California Water Action Plan, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are currently working to identify potential actions that may be taken to enhance and establish instream flow for anadromous fish in five priority streams, including the Ventura River. 

Click for more Information on the SWRCB efforts.

Click for more Information on the CDFW efforts.

The State’s potential actions to establish instream flows could have a significant impact to available water supplies within the Ventura River watershed.  That is why Casitas has been carefully monitoring and reviewing the State’s work and providing technical comments throughout the process.

Technical comments submitted by Casitas are found below.

Casitas’ Ongoing Efforts to Protect Steelhead

Casitas has worked for many years with our State partners on measures to protect steelhead trout. For over 15 years, Casitas has implemented a Fisheries Program completing several projects that improve habitat conditions for endangered steelhead trout, including construction of a state-of-the art fish latter at the Robles Diversion Facility.  Casitas’ diversions from the Ventura River at the Robles Facility are operated under a 2003 non-jeopardy federal Biological Opinion, which leaves flows in the river that are required for fish passage.

Casitas’ Fisheries Program conducts extensive monitoring, evaluation, and research that is intended to provide an understanding of the life history, population status, and environmental conditions for the resident rainbow trout and endangered steelhead in the Ventura River basin.