Rainy weather has helped clear out wastewater that killed
thousands of fish in Uvas Creek, though an investigation into the
pollution from Christopher Ranch is not yet complete, according to
environmental officials and a district attorney.
Gilroy – Rainy weather has helped clear out wastewater that killed thousands of fish in Uvas Creek, though an investigation into the pollution from Christopher Ranch is not yet complete, according to environmental officials and a district attorney.
The garlic grower south of Gilroy has admitted responsibility for the spill that occurred earlier this month, and is now waiting to hear about potential consequences.
“The investigation is close to wrapped up,” said Lt. John Nores, with the California Department of Fish and Game. “We have seen better water quality as a result of the rains because there is certainly a dilution factor. There have been no further discharges from Christopher Ranch. They were good about getting that buttoned up and sealed so it won’t happen again.”
The investigative findings, he added, will be presented to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office within a few weeks for settlement or possible action. Ken Rosenblatt, a deputy district attorney in the environmental protection unit, said the matter remains under investigation and declined to comment on possible charges.
Depending on the nature of the violation, the state’s fish and game code allows for jail time or civil penalties reaching into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The ranch could also face clean-up orders from regional water quality officials, along with prosecution by federal officials for the death of at least a dozen steelhead trout, a fish on the federal endangered species list.
Bill Christopher, head of the family business that helped Gilroy earn national fame as the Garlic Capital, said no employees have admitted responsibility for releasing garlic-tainted stormwater from an underground tank. The decomposing garlic reached the creek through a culvert and created a toxic stew that killed not only fish, but algae, crayfish and virtually all other aquatic life along an eighth-of-a-mile stretch of the waterway. The creek meanders through the city before winding through the fields of garlic and other row crops at Christopher Ranch, just north of state Route 25.
Christopher said the spill could not have happened by accident, since it requires a person to use a hand crank to release stormwater from the tank. Normally its contents are routed to a holding pond for safe release into the ground.
“We’ll never know who did it. I don’t think someone is going to step forward now, with everything that’s happened,” Christopher said. “We’re just waiting to hear what happens next now.”
In the meantime, environmental stewards are monitoring signs of improvement.
“I was out there since the rains,” said Keith Anderson, a retired state fisheries biologist. “We’ve had some sufficient flows to move the organic matter and the stream is starting to look pretty good now. The high flow event didn’t last very long, but it was enough to do a decent first cleaning of that stream reach.”
Adult steelhead trout are also making their way back upstream to spawn, he added, though more rains will be needed to help others complete the journey.
