Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility

The Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility was constructed and is operated by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to preserve the Carmel River steelhead run and allow the needs of municipal water users in the area to be met. The facility was innovative in its design that focused on the use of a natural channel rather than conventional tanks or raceways for rearing and has been imaginative in adapting to continuing challenges. As origionally envisioned as a temporary mitigation measure, the District's Steelhead Rescue and Rearing Program can be duplicated by other water agencies in coastal environments. Ultimately, when additional water supplies are developed for the Monterey Peninsula area and the risk of the lower Carmel River drying up is reduced, the facility will be taken off-line or used to provide emergency rearing habitat for juveniles steelhead during drought periods. Until that time, the District is committed to operating the Sleepy Hollow Steelhead Rearing Facility to preserve the Carmel River steelhead population for future generations.