Highway 299 Riparian Habitat Mitigation

Sponsor:
Caltrans

Project Description:
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is widening a portion of Highway 299, causing the permanent loss of 0.65 acres of riparian habitat. SWAG will be responsible for the creation and/or restoration of 3.12 acres of riparian vegetation to compensate for this loss. As part of this mitigation, the flow from “Hobo Gulch” (a small tributary of Sulphur Creek, flowing out of a 26 acre sub-watershed) will be redirected along its historic path. This water will hydrate the mitigation area. The proposed mitigation zone is adjacent to the earlier mitigation for the Turtle Bay Pedestrian Bridge and is consistent with the area’s long-term goals of open space restoration and preservation. The proposed site will create a functional habitat corridor that connects riparian forest along the Sacramento River to riparian forest along Sulphur Creek.