California buried a gas pipeline and removed its final barrier; salmon returned after 70 years

A decades-long barrier blocking fish migration in Alameda Creek was removed in 2025.

This action reopened over twenty miles of upstream habitat for migratory fish.

Chinook salmon were documented in the newly accessible area shortly after the construction.

This marked the first access to this watershed section since the 1950s.

The project is part of a larger, nearly thirty-year restoration effort.