Alameda County Water District Receives 2022 Clair A. Hill Water Agency

Fremont, Calif. – The Alameda County Water District received the Association of California Water Agencies' highest award honor with the prestigious Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence for its Lower Alameda Creek Fish Passage Improvements Program.

The award-winning program comprises seven fish passage and water supply projects constructed over two decades. Meeting the challenge of addressing habitat and water supply woes, the program and its two innovative fish ladders open up Lower Alameda Creek, allowing migratory fish to bypass obstacles since the 1970s.

“ACWD is proud to receive this esteemed award demonstrating the cooperative efforts
of over two dozen partners and culminating in a project that balances water
supply needs with environmental sustainability," said ACWD General Manager Ed Stevenson.

Alameda Creek provides nearly 40% of ACWD's water supply to over 340,000 people and replenishes the Niles Cone Groundwater Aquifer, managed by the water district.

Creating a more fish-friendly waterway was accomplished with political, environmental, and community support and the backing of an $80 million investment by ACWD's customers, including $33 million in state and federal grant funding.

As a Clair A. Hill Award recipient, ACWD also receives a $5,000 scholarship to be awarded to a deserving student the following year.

To learn more about the Lower Alameda Creek Fish Passage Improvements Program, visit acwd.org/fishway.