Friends of Gualala River Protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it
If you read the paper two weeks ago or have felt the bump in your car, you know about the sinkhole at the bottom of Old State Highway. The 4ft x 4ft pothole, caused by a failing culvert 60 feet under the street, has caught the attention of CalTrans, who submitted emergency orders for a permanent repair.
The decrepit 5-foot-wide, corrugated steel culvert transports the discharge of China Gulch hundreds of feet under the highway, eventually pouring out into the Gualala estuary. Over the decades, the large flow of water from the pipe has dug a hole below the outfall, creating a fish barrier during low flows.
Before Highway 1 was built across the stream and the culvert was put in place, salmonids were found in China Gulch, which likely served as a refuge for fish to escape high flows, not a site for spawning. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife lists China Gulch as a historical fish passage, but it needs a formal ‘fish passage assessment.’ The assessment will determine the passability for salmonids.
If China Gulch is formally deemed a fish passage, the engineered “fix” to the problem–whatever that may be– will need to be designed as fish-friendly.
Friends of Gualala River sees the inevitable repair or replacement of the culvert as an opportunity to tackle two problems at once, saving your rims while simultaneously helping salmonids. We are committed to enabling the return of endangered Coho Salmon to the Gualala River and giving a boost to Steelhead by addressing threats wherever possible.
We hope the community supports the assists to these iconic species. Explore our River Issues tab to learn more about our efforts.
Dylan Freebairn-Smith for Friends of Gualala River
Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer on February 21, 2025.
