Endangered Steelhead Trout on the Central Coast getting help from the courts

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - A Federal Court has approved a settlement agreement that will help the endangered southern California steelhead trout make a comeback in Santa Barbara County.

The agreement includes the release of more water into the Santa Maria River from the Twitchell Dam Reservoir.

The court settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in 2019 by environmental groups alleging the operators of the Twitchell Dam violated the federal Endangered Species Act by cutting off the flow of water to steelhead habitat.

Before Twitchell Dam was constructed, steelhead trout used the streams and rivers in the area to migrate and spawn.

The settlement requires the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation modify the operation of the Twitchell Dam including the quantity and timing of water releases into the Santa Maria River to ensure the steelhead trout have sufficient water for migration and for the species to recover.