Napa, Calif. -- Removal of a major barrier on a creek passing though Napa vineyards is one step toward reversing the catastrophic drop in the steelhead trout and Chinook salmon populations in California this year. The shortage was so severe that fishing was prohibited off the Northern California coast.

The project was a private-public partnership between numerous governmental agencies and Hall Wines to remove a dam built in 1965 on Dry Creek, a major subsidiary of the Napa River. About 60 artificial barriers exist in the Napa River watershed, but this was the biggest problem, advocates of the project said.

The dam created a reservoir to provide water for frost protection. Ironically, a news conference to explain the step occurred just days after one of the most severe frost emergencies in 30 years, and Hall Wines, which owns property adjoining the creek and had rights to the water, had to buy water for protection. The project is mostly on Hall's 223-acre Napa River Ranch, north of the creek. Laird Vineyards owns the land on the other side of the creek.

The goals of the project were to improve water availability and passage for the trout, protect the eroding stream banks and enhance the riparian corridor.

The old dam contained a concrete sill and wings, plus steel plates lowered in the spring to contain the water. A fish ladder at the site performed poorly, creating a significant obstacle much of the year to fish that historically spawned upstream in canyons of the Mayacamas Mountains.

The structure was topped by an old railroad flat car once used as a bridge. Solidly constructed, the structure was a challenge to Heide & Williams construction company, which was hired to remove it.

After the dam was removed, three boulder weirs were placed in the stream bed to facilitate flow and provide a "staircase" for the fish, and the creek banks were cut to a 2:1 slope and stabilized with toe rocks and willow brush mats installed by the California Conservation Corps. The willow stakes that hold the mats typically root and grow into trees that shade the water.

The project was initiated in 2002, when the Napa Resource Conservation District assessed the creek with the intention of restoring creek banks upstream of the dam. When Hall Wines joined the Napa Fish Friendly Farming program as part of its commitment to organic farming, priorities changed, and Hall agreed to find other means of frost protection and remove the structure.

Representing Kathryn and Craig Hall, winery president Mike Reynolds said, "We take our responsibility to the environment very seriously, and we also believe that a healthy environment leads to better grapes and better wines."

Along with in-kind donations and government employees' time, the project cost about $300,000 and was financed by grants totally from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the California Department of Fish and Game and the state water board. Hall also contributed about $5,500 in cash, plus extensive labor, and lost the use of the water from the reservoir.

The program took five years to complete due to the extensive studies and approvals needed. The work was completed last fall, and fish already have been seen using their new thoroughfare.

The next work on Dry Creek is to restore the creek banks upstream, including waterways along Trefethen and Page-Nord Vineyards. Invasive non-native plants will be removed, especially those hosting Pierce's disease.

The Dry Creek project also will serve as a demonstration project for removal of other barriers, and agencies involved will also attempt to streamline the permitting program to facilitate projects.

The project manager was Lara Hadhazy of Napa County Resource Conservation District. The plan was developed by project engineer Carolyn Jones of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture.