Central Valley Chinook Salmon HISTORIC STREAM HABITAT DISTRIBUTION

Table A. General Information about Spawning Habitat & Habits of the Four Salmon Runs in the Central Valley

Table B. Historic Chinook Salmon Habitat Distribution ¹
Central Valley, California

1. This table is to be used in conjunction with GIS maps prepared for EFH by Tierra Data Systems.

2. These historic distribution sites are in addition to those noted in the Current Habitat Distribution Table and EFH Maps.

3. See also: "Central Valley Chinook Salmon - Bibliography by Subject", under Historic Conditions, for more references.

Stream/Tributary	Historic Runs	Historic Upper Limit of Run / Comments(Streams listed from north to south)	Historically available (mi)	Presently accessible (mi)
Upper (Little) Sacramento - River	fall late fall winter spring	To site of present Box Canyon Dam ( Lake Siskiyou). Runs would congregate at the falls at Sims, ~ 31 miles upstream of Shasta Dam. Only western North American river to support four runs of salmon.	52	0
Hazel Creek	n/a	Confluence with the Upper (Little) Sacramento near Sims, upstream distribution not mentioned.	n/a	0
Pit River	fall spring winter	To Pit River Falls (RM75), some may have ascended to the mouth of the Fall River	76 (99 miles total)	0
Hat Creek	winter spring	Winter run in the headwaters, spring run to the present day vicinity of Cassel.	7	0
Burney Creek	winter	To Burney Falls ~1 mile upstream of the Pit River Confluence, habitat and conditions for spawning from the falls downstream..	1	0
Kosk Creek	winter	Stream has suitable habitat and conditions for spawning. Historic upstream range not mentioned.	n/a	0
Fall River	spring winter	Ascend to the source (spring fed) of the river ~ 15 miles.	15	0
Squaw Creek	n/a	Historic upstream range not mentioned although salmon use is known. Has suitable spawning beds and two or three smaller tributaries.	not mentioned	0
McCloud River	spring fall winter	Upstream to the Lower Falls, ~6 mile upstream of present day Lake McCloud.	43	0
Squaw Valley Creek	spring	Approximately 5 miles upstream, could support ~ 830 redds (Sept. 1938)	n/a	0
Star City Creek	spring	Historic upstream range not mentioned in available references	n/a	0
Claiborne Creek	spring	Historic upstream range not mentioned	n/a	0
Caluchi Creek	spring	Historic upstream range not mentioned	n/a	0
Sacramento River -Mainstem	fall late-fall	Historically available habitat is measured from Rio Vista in the northern Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta, upstream to the confluence of the Upper (Little) Sacramento and Pit rivers. Used as a migration route for spring run and winter run, with scattered spawning of these runs presently occurring on the mainstem up to impassable Keswick Dam.	299	286
Clear Creek	fall spring	Spring run to the French Gulch area (~1400 ft elevation).	25	16
Stillwater Creek	fall	Approximately 20 miles upstream in 1938, near present day vicinity of Mountain Gate.	~20	~20
Cow Creek	fall spring late-fall	Historic upstream range not mentioned in Yoshiyama et al. Presently, fall-run occur in the mainstem up to where the South Fork joins and in the North (Little) Cow to the falls near the Ditty Wells (Calif. Dept. of Forestry) Fire Station. Spring run have been reported in the South Fork, even though adequate habitat is lacking (CDFG,1993). Other tributaries have bedrock barriers which limit access: North (Little) Cow, Clover and Old Cow. Late-fall run salmon occasionally occur in Cow Creek.	n/a	~15
Cottonwood Creek	fall spring late fall	Spring run would ascend the South Fork above Maple Gulch.,and the Middle Fork up Beegum Creek approximately 8 miles.	79	79
Battle Creek	fall spring winter	Ascended the North Fork to the Volta Powerhouse above Manton, and the South Fork near Hwy 36 crossing. Now access blocked by Coleman National Fish Hatchery weir.	53	6
Antelope Creek	fall spring late fall (probably)	North Fork Antelope to the McClure Place or confluence with Judd Creek. South Fork Antelope to Round Mountain Creek. The late fall run is sustained by the Coleman National Fish Hatchery.	32	32
Mill Creek	fall spring late fall (occasional)	Most habitat located from mouth of Little Mill Creek (1500 feet) to Morgan Hot Springs (5000 feet- highest) . The upstream spawning and holding limit is near the Lassen National Park boundary. The upper reaches’ water temperatures are higher due to influence of hot springs.	44	44
Thomes Creek	fall spring	Fall run when streamflow adequate. Eight miles upstream from the town of Paskenta supported a small spring run.	~30	~ 4
Deer Creek	fall spring	Upstream to Deer Creek Falls. Deer Creek has additional habitat available currently than historically. Salmon were never known to have passed Lower Deer Creek Falls which was bypassed with a fish ladder constructed in 1942-1943.	34	38
Big Chico Creek	fall spring late fall	Probably used opportunistically in the past. Upstream limit is Higgins Hole approximately .5 to 1 miles above the Ponderosa Way crossing.	24	24
Stony Creek	spring fall	To the confluence of Stony and Little Stony Creeks, ~5 miles below Stonyford. Now blocked by Black Butte Dam, diversions and low flows.	54	~3
Butte Creek	fall spring late-fall	Spring run ascended to the present site of Centerville Head Dam near DeSabla. A portion of the spring run may have spawned in reaches further upstream. Historically the spring run was larger than the fall-run, an exception in the northern Sacramento Valley.	53+	53

Feather River	fall spring	Historically one of the major salmon streams of the Sacramento River. The mainstem spawning beds extended 30 miles from the river mouth up to Oroville. Oroville Dam now blocks access.	mainstem = 64 Total = 211	64
West Branch		To the site of Stirling City.	22	0
North Fork		Past the present day site of Lake Almanor ~ 6 miles. Surrounding tributaries were accessed (>4,200 ft. elevation). Most of spring run stopped by Salmon Falls ~2 to 2.5 miles above the town of Seneca.	105	0
Hamilton Branch		Possibly ascended close to present day Mountain Meadows Reservoir.
East Branch of NF		Upstream at least to Indian Creek.
Indian Creek		At least as far as Indian Falls Near Hwy 89 and 70.
Yellow Creek		Historic upstream range not mentioned.
Spanish Creek		Historic upstream range not mentioned, substantial falls above the mouth.
Middle Fork		Fish stopped at Bald Rock Falls, just above Lake Oroville and Curtain Falls immediately above.	14	0
Fall River		Ascended ~ 1 mile upstream from the confluence to Feather R Falls (640 ft).	1	0
South Fork		To Forbestown, near the upper limit of the South Fork arm of Lake Oroville.	6	0
Yuba River	fall spring	Historically supported 15% of the annual fall-run in the Sacramento River system. Damaged by hydraulic mining from 1850-1885. Englebright Dam is present upstream limit.	mainstem = 21 Total = 77	21
North Fork		To Salmon Creek, near Sierra City.	41	0
Middle Fork		The lower river, near where the North Fork joins. Direct information on the distribution is lacking.	14	0
South Fork		1 to 2 miles upstream , perhaps spring run accessed the present town of Washington. Direct information on the distribution is lacking.	1.5	0
Dry Creek		~5 to 6 miles	5 to 6	0
Bear River	fall	Fall run only, to the present day Camp Far West Dam / Reservoir. Occasional use historically.	16	16
American River	fall spring late-fall (possibly)	Mainstem use and distribution on the American River damaged by hydraulic mining from 1850-1885. Access now blocked by Nimbus Dam (below Folsom Dam).	Total = 161	<28
North Fork		To Mumford Bar, perhaps upstream additional ~11 miles to falls at Royal Gorge (~ 4000 feet).	56	0
Middle Fork		To the confluence with the Rubicon River (1640 feet).	22	0
South Fork		Salmon Falls was a probable barrier to fall-run fish but was blasted in 1935. The vicinity of Eagle Rock (4600 ft), ~12 miles downstream of Strawberry, is the approximate upper limit for salmon.	55	0
Cache Creek	fall	At least to Capay Dam site, probably only during wet years in this intermittent stream; upstream extent poorly known. Access now blocked by Capay Dam, diversions, and low flows.	~ 25-30	0
Putah Creek	fall	Near the town of Monticello, probably only during wet years in this intermittent stream; upstream extent poorly known. Access now blocked by Monticello Dam, diversions, and low flows. Salmon spawners returned in winter 1998 near Davis and juveniles survived (P. Moyle, UCD, pers. comm.).	~ 15-20	~ 8 -15
San Francisco Bay	all	Historic use by coho salmon and steelhead may have been more common than by chinook salmon due to small size of most streams. Current spawning runs in many tributaries appear to be mostly of fall-run hatchery origin and occur mainly during wet years. Most (82%) of the small sloughs and marshes have been filled in SF Bay; diversions and pumps divert juveniles; estuary function has been severely altered; urban streams are channelized, piped and "flood controlled"; and pollutant loads have lowered habitat quality. Bay itself continues to provide adult and juvenile migration and some juvenile rearing habitat for all runs, though the bay’s surface area has been reduced by 37% due to filling.	n/a	See Current Stream Habitat Distribution Table & Map for best estimates of each stream
Napa River	fall	Historic use quite likely by small and/or sporadic runs (Leidy & Sisco). Now blocked by Kimball Canyon Dam.	n/a	n/a
Sonoma Creek	fall	Historic use possible by small and/or sporadic runs (Leidy & Sisco). Now at least to the confluence with Carriger Creek.	n/a	n/a
Petaluma River	fall	Historic use quite likely by small and/or sporadic runs (Leidy & Sisco).	n/a	n/a
San Pablo Creek	fall	Native American archaeological sites adjacent to creek lend support to the conclusion that coho and possibly chinook salmon used the creek prior to European settlement (Leidy, pers. comm.). Now blocked by San Pablo Dam / Reservoir.	n/a	n/a
Walnut Creek	fall	Likely supported chinook salmon (Leidy & Sisco). Now blocked by first drop structure near Hwy. 24 crossing.	n/a	n/a
San Leandro Creek	fall	A run of chinook salmon was known to ascend to base of Lake Chabot Dam at least until the late 1870s (Leidy & Sisco). Access blocked now by Lake Chabot Dam (below Upper San Leandro Reservoir).	n/a	n/a
Alameda Creek	fall	An historical record from native American middens near Niles exist for chinook salmon. Now blocked by concrete invert at BART crossing below Niles.	n/a	5.5 mi.
Guadalupe River	fall	Historic use by small and/or sporadic runs quite likely (Leidy & Sisco). Local restoration group (Southbay Salmon & Steelhead Restoration) claims it supported chinook, coho and steelhead for sport fishing as late as the 1940's. Headwaters were well-shaded. Access now blocked by 13 ft. diversion barrier 14 mi. upstream.	n/a	9-14
Coyote Creek	fall	Historic use by small and/or sporadic runs quite likely (Leidy & Sisco). Now blocked by LeRoy Anderson Dam.	n/a	n/a
San Joaquin River -Mainstem	fall spring late fall	Distance includes from Mossdale in the southern Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta, upstream to the confluence of the Merced River. This stretch lacks spawning gravels and serves primarily as a migration corridor.	50	50
Mokelumne River	fall spring late-fall (possibly)	12 miles upstream from Pardee Dam (1928) at the present site of Electra Powerhouse. Access now blocked by Camanche Dam.	69	46
Cosumnes River	fall	Falls ~ � mile below Latrobe Hwy Bridge. No dams are present to block access today.	34	34
Calaveras River	unknown	Unknown, historically marginal habitat, occurrence irregular. Recently a "winter run" was observed from 1972-1984. Fall-run fish occasionally enter when suitable fall flows are available. New Hogan Dam now blocks access.	38	38
Stanislaus River	fall spring	Mainstem use on the Stanislaus River - 31 miles now lost above Goodwin Dam.	113 total	46
North Fork		Up to Mackay’s Point or ~14 miles above the confluence with the Middle Fork	14	0
Middle Fork		No substantial obstacles to the reach above present day Beardsley Reservoir (3400 feet), the steep gradient may have deterred salmon.	21	0
South Fork		Distribution unknown, unlikely to have supported salmon populations	n/a	0
Tuolumne River	fall spring	To Preston Falls on the boundary of Yosemite National Park (~51 miles upstream from the present New Don Pedro Dam). Fall-run fish historically comprised 12% of total fall run spawning escapement for the Central Valley. Now blocked by La Grange Dam.	99 total	47
North Fork		Falls ~ 1 mile upstream of the mouth	1	0
South Fork		Steep sections just above the mouth likely obstructed salmon	0	0
Middle Fork		Steep sections just above the mouth likely obstructed salmon	0	0
Cherry Creek		Perhaps spring run entered this stream, distribution not mentioned	0	0
Clavey River		Steep sections just above the mouth likely obstructed salmon	0	0
Merced River	fall spring	Mainstem for ~ 49 mi. , approaching the vicinity of El Portal (~2000 ft.). To Crocker - Huffman Diversion Dam now.	99 total	43
South Fork		South Fork ~ 7 miles to Peach Tree Bar	7	0
North Fork		North Fork has a waterfall ~ 1 mile upstream, therefore no fish mentioned in the North Fork	0	0
Upper San Joaquin River	fall spring	About half way up Mammoth Pool Reservoir. The historically available habitat distance includes the mainstem river above the confluence with the Merced River. Mainstem = 53 mi. above and 121 mi. below impassable Friant Dam. Polluted drainage, barriers, and low flows now prevent access above Merced River.	174 total	0
Fine Gold Creek		Upstream ~ 6 miles	6	0
Cottonwood Creek		Upstream ~ 2 miles	2	0
Willow Creek		Upstream distribution unknown ~ 1 mi.	1	0
Kings River	spring	To the North Fork ~12 miles upstream past present day Pine Flat Reservoir.	84	0

1. Primary Sources: Yoshiyama, R.M., E.R. Gerstung, F.W. Fisher, and P.B. Moyle. 1996. Historical and present distribution of chinook salmon in the Central Valley drainage of California. pp. 309-361 in: Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final report to Congress, vol. III. Centers for Water and Wildland Resources, University of California, Davis. Davis CA. Updated with personal communication from Dr. Ronald Yoshiyama. Also: Leidy, R.A. and J. Sisco. 1999. Historical distribution and current status of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and chinook salmon (O. twaschyscha) in streams of the San Francisco Estuary, California. San Francisco Estuary Institute. Expanded with personal communication from Robert Leidy, U.C. Davis doctoral student. Secondary Sources: California Dept. of Fish and Game. 1993. Restoring Central Valley streams: a plan for action; interviews with local biologists, as noted below. For more details, see also: Central Valley Chinook Salmon - Bibliography by Subject (see under Historical Conditions); and Contacts and Expertise list, both prepared by Sari Sommarstrom & Assoc. (1999).

2. Lengths of all stream reaches known or presumed to have been traversed or utilized by salmon in the drainage are included (from Yoshiyama et al. 1996). Smaller tributaries were not listed in Yoshiyama et al. article since not enough information was available and authors’ desire to be conservative in their estimates (R. Yoshiyama, pers.comm.). Where possible, some additional streams have been added based on new sources (see below) for this Table.

3. Length between the mouth of the stream and the current upstream limit (from Yoshiyama et al. 1996).

4. Stillwater Creek - Estimate provided by Harry Rectenwald, CDFG Biologist, Redding, CA. 1998.

5. Rough estimate from map, scale = 1:150,000. (Delorme’s Northern California Atlas and Gazetter.) Not estimated in Yoshiyama et al.

6. Thomes Creek - Estimate provided by Terry Healey, Fisheries Biologist, CDFG, Redding, CA.1998. Non-natal rearing juveniles found 13 km upstream near the Rawson Rd. crossing (information provided by Professor Paul Maslin, CSU Chico, 1998.)

7. Bay Area impacts described in: San Francisco Estuary Project. 1994. Comprehensive conservation and management plan for San Francisco Estuary. Prepared for EPA by the Assoc. of Bay Area Governments, Berkeley CA. @ 500 pages. South Bay fish expert is Dr. Jerry Smith of San Jose State Univ. for more details on historic fish runs and streams. Southbay Salmon & Steelhead Restoration Coalition’s website is http://www/igc/apc.org/nhi/s3rc/index.html

. Other potential sources of historic Bay stream habitat information are the Urban Creeks Coalition and Oakland Museum’s Natural Sciences Department (www.museumca.org/creeks).