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A Plan to Get Savvy About Urban Watersheds

A Plan to Get Savvy About Urban Watersheds. Dan Cloak, Dan Cloak Environmental Consulting Beau Goldie, Santa Clara Valley Water District Lorrie Gervin, City of Sunnyvale. The Santa Clara Basin. Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative. Started in 1996 Stakeholders include:

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A Plan to Get Savvy About Urban Watersheds

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  1. A Plan to Get Savvy About Urban Watersheds Dan Cloak, Dan Cloak Environmental Consulting Beau Goldie, Santa Clara Valley Water District Lorrie Gervin, City of Sunnyvale

  2. The Santa Clara Basin

  3. Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative • Started in 1996 • Stakeholders include: • USEPA & Regional Water Quality Control Board • State and Federal Resource Agencies • Cities, Towns & County • Santa Clara Valley Water District • Valley Transportation Authority • Environmental Advocates • Citizens Groups • Business Interests

  4. Watershed Planning Process • Watershed Characteristics Report • Pilot Watershed Assessments • A Vision for Our Watershed • Subgroups created 112 Action Worksheets • Action Plan Technical Advisory Group • Which of these actions are being done now?

  5. Watershed Action Plan • For each of seven issues: • An aspect of the watershed vision • Natural & social history of environmental issue • Existing law & regulation • Status of implementation • Watershed management objectives

  6. 1. Stream Protection & Restoration • Vision: Support salmon & steelhead • - Restore seasonal flows and overbanking • - Restore and maintain in-stream habitat • History: Dams, flow diversions, channelization • Science: River continuum & stream equilibrium • Policy: Flows, Permits, Sediment TMDLs • Status: Stewardship added to District mission • Objective: Integrate flood protection & restoration • - Commit to long-term Adaptive Management

  7. 2. Floodplain & Riparian Planning Vision: Continuous riparian corridors & floodplains - For flood management, habitat, parks, trails History & Science: Ideas about flood control and floodplain management (Gilbert White, 1942) - Landscape ecology & riparian corridors Policies: NFIP, City & District, Trails Plan Objective: Integrated planning process • Shared sense of place

  8. 3. Conserving Biodiversity Vision: Comprehensive plan to preserve biodiversity (variety of habitats, organisms, & genetic makeup) Also provide for jobs & housing History: Open space preservation along with sprawl Science: What is critical habitat? Policy: ESA, HCPs, NCCPs Status: HCP/NCCP in Santa Clara County Objective: Creation & management of habitat reserves

  9. 3. Conserving Biodiversity in Wetlands Status: Acquisition of 15,000 additional acres - Expand the SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Objective: Facilitate restoration of salt ponds, maintain flood protection, protect water quality - Comprehensive planning process

  10. 4. General Plans & Specific Area Plans Vision: Protected corridors with intense development History: Modernism + incentives + economics = Sprawl Policies: California General Plan Law, “Smart Growth” Objective: Incorporate vision into General Plans - Reach out to “smart growth” advocates - Plan for designation & acquisition of habitat corridors

  11. 5. Site Development & Drainage Vision: Retrofitted drainage systems protect streams Science: Imperviousness & effects on streams - Site and drainage design solutions History: Cities’ slow changes in design standards Policy: Amended municipal stormwater permit Objective: Assist implementation of permit & coordinate with other aspects of vision

  12. 6. Assessments, TMDLs, & Discharge Permits Vision: Waters fishable, swimmable, without pollution History: Success in cleaning up wastewater discharges - New issues: Flow diversions, exotic species, nonpoint Science: Sources, fate, transport, effects of each pollutant Policies: Stormwater discharge permit, TMDLs Status: Site-specific objectives for Cu & Ni - TMDLs for Hg, PCBs, CHCs, diazinon, dioxins/furans - Watch list for trash, pathogens, sediment/siltation, PBDEs, EDCs Objective: Improve TMDL process, consensus-based discharge permits

  13. 7. Water Conservation & Recycling Vision: Rely primarily on local sources, maximize conservation & recycling, balance with other needs History: Overpumping, subsidence, dams & diversions, water imports, salt marsh conversion Policy: California conservation policy - Central Valley Improvement Act - Flow cap on wastewater discharge Status: 10% of wastewater flow is recycled Objective: Use state-mandated Integrated Water Resource Planning to gauge & focus water conservation & recycling

  14. A Watershed Plan is All About… • A shared vision of the future • Collective discovery and learning • About watershed science • About environmental policy & regulation • Aligning, coordinating & integrating existing environmental protection policies & programs • Creating an effective long-term institutionfor adaptive management of watersheds

  15. Watershed Initiative’s Future Role • Facilitate stakeholder groups • Genuine collaboration • Fresh technical & policy perspectives • Recommend solutions to policy-makers • Bring consensus to boards, managers, & funders • Educate and involve the public • Develop indicators • Issue reports

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