Monday November 28, 2022
Napa Valley Register —
Vintner Ted Hall’s wish that steelhead trout could more easily go from the Napa River on the Napa Valley floor to the Bear Creek spawning grounds in the Mayacamas Mountains is getting a boost.
Bale Slough is a key. This waterway running through Rutherford wine country helps link river and spawning grounds, but lacks good aquatic and riparian habitat.
“If we could only get the fish from the river under Highway 29 and a little bit further, we’d really be in business,” Hall said.
Bale Slough over the decades has been channelized and straightened. Next summer, the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District will launch a Bale Slough restoration that ultimately could total $6.6 million.