By Chad Alderson in News — 25 Aug 2025

Big Chico Creek: A Call for Urgent Action to Protect Public Health and Threatened Salmon

An Open Letter to CalTrout, BCCER, and the Citizens of Chico, Ca.

Dear Environmental Advocates and Community Members,

Big Chico Creek, a 46-mile waterway that flows from Lassen National Park through the heart of Chico, Ca. to the Sacramento River, faces an environmental and public health crisis that demands immediate attention. Recent confirmation of dangerous E. coli O157 contamination has resulted in children being hospitalized and a no-swim advisory that extends from Upper Bidwell Park to the One Mile Recreation Area.

This isn't a temporary inconvenience. This is a symptom of a larger failure to protect one of our most precious natural resources.

High Stakes

Public Health Emergency

The Butte County Public Health Department, in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has confirmed the presence of E. coli O157 in Big Chico Creek. This isn't just any bacteria - it's a particularly dangerous strain that can cause severe dehydration, hospitalization, and kidney failure. Children have already been hospitalized after swimming in Sycamore Pool and Five Mile Recreation Area.

The fact that our community's children cannot safely enjoy what should be a pristine natural swimming area in the middle of summer is totally unacceptable.

Critical Salmon Habitat Under Threat

What makes this contamination particularly alarming is that Big Chico Creek serves as a vital spawning habitat for threatened Chinook salmon. These remarkable fish make annual spawning runs up the creek to areas like Higgin's Hole, continuing a cycle that has existed for thousands of years.

The presence of E. coli O157 at levels dangerous enough to sicken humans raises serious questions about the health of the entire creek ecosystem. Salmon require clean, cool, oxygen-rich water to survive and reproduce. Bacterial contamination at these levels indicates broader water quality issues that could jeopardize the survival of this threatened species.

CalTrout and its partners recently secured $87 million in federal funding to restore salmon passage to 11 miles of historic spawning habitat above Iron Canyon, yet this massive investment is rendered meaningless if salmon must first swim through E. coli-contaminated waters to reach it. While the Mechoopda Tribe, Chico State, and multiple agencies work tirelessly to remove upstream barriers and restore native ecosystems, the City of Chico's failure to address downstream pollution creates a toxic gauntlet that threatens every returning salmon.

The bitter irony is unmistakable: millions spent opening spawning grounds above while the urban creek below festers with contamination levels so dangerous they're hospitalizing children.

Our Creek is a Garbage Dump

Anyone who walks along Big Chico Creek through central Chico can observe concerning conditions:

Extensive trash accumulation in riparian areas
Makeshift homeless encampments directly adjacent to the water
Evidence of human waste and improper sanitation
Degraded vegetation and erosion along the banks

The photos accompanying this post show abandoned shopping carts in the creek, extensive refuse, and unsanitary conditions that pose risks to both human health and wildlife habitat. While the city posts "No Swimming" signs warning of E. coli contamination, these warnings alone do nothing to address the root causes of the pollution.

Enforcement Disparities and Environmental Justice

There appears to be a troubling double standard in how environmental regulations are enforced along Big Chico Creek. While homeowners face strict regulations about creek setbacks, vegetation management, and runoff, there seems to be minimal enforcement of basic sanitation and camping regulations in other areas of the creek.

California's environmental laws - including the Clean Water Act and protections for endangered species habitat - should apply equally throughout the watershed. The current situation suggests these laws are not being uniformly enforced (likely due to The Warren Homeless Settlement), resulting in degraded water quality that affects everyone downstream.

A Call to Action

To CalTrout and BCCER:

Your organizations have the expertise, credibility, and resources to elevate this issue. We need you to:

Conduct independent water quality monitoring throughout Big Chico Creek to document contamination sources and patterns
Advocate for comprehensive watershed management that addresses all sources of pollution
Pressure local and state agencies to enforce existing environmental regulations consistently
Support funding for restoration efforts that can rehabilitate degraded sections of the creek
Educate the public about the connection between water quality and salmon survival

To the City of Chico:

The current approach is clearly insufficient. We need:

Stronger enforcement of no-camping ordinances. Root cause may be the Warren Agreement, but an exception to protect anadromous waterways (and runoff zones) MUST BE MADE
Collaboration with social services to address the obvious root causes while protecting water quality
Regular creek cleanup operations with proper hazardous waste disposal
Consistent enforcement of environmental and public health regulations
Increased funding for creek monitoring and maintenance - possibly in collaboration with CalTrout

To Citizens:

Your voice matters. Contact:

Report pollution when you see it. Volunteer for creek cleanup efforts. Support organizations working to protect our waterways.

The Path Forward

Big Chico Creek is a big part of what makes Chico unique. It is the lifeblood of our community, a refuge for threatened salmon, and a natural treasure that should be accessible to all. The current E. coli contamination represents a failure of stewardship that affects everyone, from the children who can no longer swim safely to the salmon struggling to survive in degraded habitat.

This crisis requires immediate, coordinated action from environmental organizations, government agencies, and citizens. We cannot accept a status quo where public health warnings substitute for actual solutions, where threatened species habitat continues to degrade, and where our children lose access to nature in their own backyard.

The time for half-measures has passed. Big Chico Creek needs champions who will demand action, accountability, and the resources necessary to restore this vital waterway to health.

Will you answer the call?

For more information on the E. coli contamination, visit the Butte County Public Health website. To report pollution or health concerns related to Big Chico Creek, call 530-552-3929.

To get involved with creek protection efforts, contact CalTrout or the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER).

Latest Update - Aug 27, 2025

I've made a CPRA Request today. Here's the ask:

Subject: CPRA Request: Big Chico Creek E. coli O157 - Lab Reports Received + GPS‑Stamped Sampling Logs (June 1, 2025–Present)

Hello City Clerk / Records Officer,

Under the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code §§ 7920.000 et seq.), please provide the following records for Big Chico Creek from June 1, 2025 to present:

Any lab reports or environmental sampling results (water/sediment) the City created, received, or maintains regarding E. coli / STEC / O157 in Big Chico Creek (e.g., Sycamore Pool/One‑Mile, Five‑Mile, Hooker Oak, Bear Hole, Alligator Hole, Nature Center), including attachments sent by Butte County Public Health, CDPH, CDC, or the Water Board.

Any City sampling logs / field logs (GPS‑stamped if available), chain‑of‑custody forms, and any City SOPs or internal sampling plans for this incident.

Additionally, please include emails, memos, and attachments between your agency and Butte County Public Health, City of Chico, CDPH, CDC, and the Water Board referencing “E. coli,” “O157,” “STEC,” “Sycamore Pool,” “One-Mile,” “Five-Mile,” “Bear Hole,” “Alligator Hole,” “Hooker Oak,” or “Chico Creek Nature Center,” dated June 1, 2025 to present. If email search is needed, you may use those terms and the location names above.

Production preferences: Please produce electronically (CSV/XLSX for data; PDFs for memos/reports). Rolling production is fine. If any material is withheld/redacted, please state the specific CPRA exemption and provide an index of withheld records.

Please confirm receipt and the 10‑day determination timeline under § 7922.535

You will be able to download the documents here as the city produces them.