Trout Creek (Truckee River)

Trout Creek is a small tributary of the Truckee River draining about 5.1sqmi along the eastern crest of the Sierra Nevada. It originates east of Donner Ridge and north of Donner Lake in the Tahoe-Donner Golf Course and flows through the town of Truckee, California to its confluence with the Truckee River in Nevada County, California, United States just west of Highway 267.Trout Creek Restoration ProjectHistorically Trout Creek was re-routed for development of downtown Truckee, to power a lumber mill in a flume, channelized and used to feed ponds for ice harvesting and logging. None of the lower portion of the creek follows its original channel and a large portion has been channelized within a concrete flume between Jibboom Street and Donner Pass Road.The Town of Truckee is working to restore Trout Creek in order to: Restore the natural function of the creek. Improve ecological value by creating riparian and aquatic habitat. Improve water quality by managing local water runoff. Provide flood protection. Improve recreational and aesthetic value of the creek.The restoration is on the section of the creek from its I-80 undercrossing east of Bridge Street, under Donner Pass Road, past the Lumber Yard, through the Railyard Development area, and to the Union Pacific Railroad right of way line, which is immediately north of the Truckee River.EcologyObserved species include a variety of birds, including killdeer, belted kingfisher, hairy woodpecker, Steller's jay, common raven, mountain chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch . brown creeper, and dark-eyed junco and several mammals. including California ground squirrel, North American beaver, raccoon, and mule deer . The primary fish species that are present through the project reach are brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and Paiute sculpin . All of these fish species, except for the sculpin, are introduced species. The presence of highly aggressive salmonids, such as non-native rainbow trout, probably depredated the historically native, federally listed, Lahontan cutthroat trout .