HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04242001 - C.93 Contra
TO: _ BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Costa
County
FROM: DENNIS M. BARRY, AICP
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: April 24, 2001
SUBJECT: CALFED Bay-Delta Watershed Program Project Proposal
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION
AUTHORIZE the Community Development Director to submit a grant application to the
CALFED Bay-Delta Watershed Program to fund a portion of the Contra Costa County
Watershed Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy Project.
FISCAL IMPACT
If the application is successful, the County could gain $50,000 in funding to assist the
Watershed Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy project. The County's administrative costs
of expending these new funds would be deducted from the grant award.
BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
On March 6, 2001 the Board of Supervisors declared its support for a grant application
submitted by The Community Development Department on behalf of the Contra Costa
Watershed Forum(a partnership organization of non-profit organizations, local governments,
environmental education groups, and regulatory agencies). That grant application requested
funds to develop a Contra Costa County Watershed Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy.
The Community Development Department has since submitted a conceptual proposal to the
CALFED Bay-Delta Watershed Program to augment the Watershed Atlas project with
additional public involvement and data collection. CALFED accepted the conceptual
proposal and has invited us to submit a full proposal.
The information resulting from this project will greatly benefit the County by adding more data
to the County's GIS and providing baseline information on watersheds that would support
watershed planning and implementation of creek enhancement projects.
Please see attached copy of the Concept Proposal approved by CALFED.
GO ff4NbIED-ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATU,R
COMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMM N, ATION OF BOA OMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE (S):
ACTION OF BOA N -t00 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE
SHOWN. `1
Contact: John Kopchik (925) 335-1227 ATTESTED a00
cc: Community Development Department (CDD) JOHIN SWEETEN, CLERK OF
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
AND COLINTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
WAPersonal\Proposals\Baydelta Watershed Prog Proposal\Board 0rder\Bd0rderApri124.doc
CONCEPT PROPOSAL FORM I
For proposals with emphasis on capacity building,education and outreach, or research
Use this form to describe your concept for a proposal or project to apply to the CALFED Watershed Program for funding support.
Use only the space provided, leaving at least a half inch margin with type size no smaller than 10 points. These guidelines are also
available in electronic format on the Watershed Program web site:
baydeltawatershed org
Project and Applicant Information:
Name of project: Total Budget Estimate for Project: $174,175
Contra Costa County Watersheds Atlas and Creek Restoration Funds Requested from CALFED: $50,000
Strategy Funds Requested from Prop 13: $80,000
County match(cash&inkind): $44,175
Project Applicants(s)and/or Principal Investigator(s)and affiliation(s)—use an additional sheet if necessary:
John Kopchik, Senior Planner,Contra Costa County Community Development Department(Project manager)
Ann Cheng,Contract Water Resource and GIS Specialist,CCCCDD(Project coordinator)
Mitch Avalon,Deputy Director for Flood Control,CCC Public Works Dept. (Project guidance)
Lis Klute,Contract GIS Coordinator,CCC Public Works Department(Technical guidance and GIS Analysis)
Project manager or contact person,address,telephone and email(if fiscal agent is different,provide that information,also):
John Kopchik, Senior Planner(Project manager)
651 Pint Street
`h Floor,North Wing
Martinez,CA 94553-1229
kopc(&cd.co.contra-costa.ca.us
(925)335-1227 Fax: (925)335-1299
Project.Abstract(include the county,watershed or other geographic reference):
The Contra Costa County Community Development coordinates a partnership organization of non-profit organizations, local
governments, environmental education groups, and regulatory agencies called the Contra Costa Watershed Forum (our first-drafl
website is at www.cocowaterweb.org . The purpose of the Watershed Forum is to coordinate countywide discussion of, an
Tanning for,creek and watershed issues. The Forum also seeks to identify opportunities for multi-objective enhancements of creeks
d watersheds. To that end,the Watershed Forum conceived a proposal for developing a countywide planning document for all 2
primary watersheds in the County to be called the Contra Costa County Watersheds Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy ("Atlas").
On behalf of the Watershed Forum,the Community Development Department submitted an$80,000 grant request to the SWRCB for
Proposition 13 funds to develop the Atlas. In our application,we proposed to include the following elements in the project:
• Catalogue,assess,and gather existing map-based and statistical data on watersheds and creeks in the County.
• Compile an inventory of completed,current,and proposed creek restoration projects in the County.
• Develop a county-wide watersheds GIS based on the existing data and the inventory of restoration projects.
• Develop the Atlas document through the Watershed Forum with separate chapters on each watershed. Each chapter would
contain a map of the watershed, charts with detailed statistical information on proposed projects and physical features of the
watershed,and text describing the watershed and its restoration needs and opportunities.
With this proposal for$50,000 from CALFED,we seek to augment the Atlas in the following ways:
• Harness grassroots citizen volunteers for a Global Positioning System ("GPS") inventory of creek resources and unique
watershed features.
• Expand citizen involvement in the development of restoration strategies and priorities for each watershed
• Facilitate local leadership in developing educational outreach efforts for county citizens about creek, watershed, and water
quality issues. Expose the hidden value of creeks to our communities. Identify the potential benefits of enhancing these
resources.
f your concept proposal is not selected for further consideration in this round offunding, would you like referral to other possible
riding sources? YES X NO
CALFED
r BAY-DELTA
® PROCRMI CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 1
1. Describe your anticipated outcome,or what you plan to achieve,and what practices or programs you intend to use. If a
research project,explain the hypothesis and methods on which your concept is based.
Augmentation of the Atlas proposal with CALFED funding would have the following two main results:
• "Ground-truthing"of creek resources by citizen volunteers to confirm and augment existing map-based data
• Expansion of watershed level public processes to provide a framework for watershed management by local leadership.
More specifically,the funding we seek from CALFED to achieve the above objectives will be used for the following tasks(all of
which will be conducted through,and guided by,the Contra Costa Watershed Forum):
1.Develop a protocol for citizen volunteer training,based on a literature review of existing protocols
2.Develop a list of observations and features to be recorded and mapped using Global Positioning System("GPS")units.
a.Examples of Features to be mapped include: pipe outfalls into creeks,barriers to fish passage,channel conditions(e.g.,%veg
cover,concrete,open ditch,culverted,etc.),unique features,etc.
3.Purchase 6-10 GPS units
4.Conduct data collection trainings and planning meetings for watershed outreach and education events
5.Collect data and watershed observations for not less than five major watersheds in the County(and hopefully all 20),with priority
to large watersheds such as Marsh Creek,Kirker Creek,Walnut Creek,and San Pablo Creek.
6.Catalog and Publish results in the Watershed Atlas.
7.Hold a series of public education and input seminars for every watershed in the county on the unique features,restoration
possibilities and ecosystem health of the creeks that run through their communities.
The goal of this phase is to get local involvement in ground-truthing current creek conditions. Local residents may be more
enthusiastic about participating knowing data collected will be published in the county's first watershed atlas.
The above tasks constitute and augmentation of a larger project,the Contra Costa Watersheds Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy.
That larger project project will provide an overview of the current status and furture needs of all significant watersheds in the County.
Each watershed would be covered in a separate chapter. The Atlas would be published in written form and on the web. A sample
layout of a chapter in the"Atlas"document would have the following:
• Map of the watershed—potential features include: watershed boundaries,water bodies,restoration projects,General Plan Land
Use Designations,Aerial orthophoto base map,government jurisdictions,major roads,vegetation types,historic waterways and all
the features collected from the GPS data collection effort.
• Narrative Text summarizing main features and issues facing the watershed.
• Photos from the data collection effort
• Inventory of Biological features—Animals(Mammals,Fish,Birds,Amphibians,Reptiles,Rare,Endangered and Threatened
species);Plants(Riparian,Wetland,Grassland,Woodland)
• Physical Features—Length of creek(concrete,culverted,open,undisturbed,restored);Flow(Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall
averages);Percent of Watershed Area(Impervious,Commercial,Residential,Open Space,Industrial,Flood Plain)
• Analysis of Impaired Creek Functions,Key Pollution Pathways,opportunities for restoration,and general recommendations.
• Inventory of Past,Current and Planned Restoration Projects
• List of contact names for that watershed
• Bibliography of data and publications about the watershed.
. Describe the level of community involvement and activity anticipated in this project,including the following elements:
a. How will your activity promote community and landowner/user involvement in watershed management?
We expect the project will effectively energize and involve citizens in watershed issues by providing them a hands-on experience that
contributes actual useful information for a larger watershed management effort.This project will solicit involvement and participation
y community members residing in the watershed of interest. Constituents that aren't plugged into the local,active,organized friends
of creeks groups will be solicited for involvement. Local creek groups will be asked for their input and suggestions of effective ways
o get a high turn out for participation in addition to successful training protocols.
b. What level of support is there from the local community and agencies?
There is a high level of support and participation from the local community and agencies. The Contra Costa Watershed Forum was
created from the planning group that coordinated and presented the Contra Costa Creek and Watershed Symposium in April 1999.
This event drew over 300 people for one day event to discuss needs and opportunities for enhancing creeks and watersheds. The
Forum meets on the first Thursday of every odd month and has a broad and comprehensive list of participating organizations. Forum
originated the concept of performing this county-wide watershed inventory and framed the Atlas proposal.
CALFED
BAY-DELTA
® PROGRAM CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 2
c. How will the activity foster collaboration among multiple interests or scientific disciplines?
Data collected will be useful to many different local agencies such the County,cities,non-profit organizations and state federal
regulatory agencies. Development of the Atlas project through the Watershed Forum will engage existing and future Forum
participants in a way that attending meetings does not,stimulating inter-organizational cooperation in crafting an actual written
document that meets the needs of not one but many different groups.
d. How will your project reach out to and encourage the active participation of local leadership and diverse community
interests?
This project will solidify and expand the partnerships already forming through the Watershed Forum. This project will also use the
diverse groups represented on the Forum to extend our outreach further into the community to find volunteers for creek data
collection. As mentioned previously,Forum participants include the variety of creek advocacy groups active in the County,
environmental education groups,County and city departments,special districts such as water agencies,park districts,and the RCD,
and regulatory agencies from the state and federal governments.
e. How will the activity contribute to on-going effective local management of the watershed?
Local residents will be given an opportunity to experience the watershed by collecting data and observations about the area. This
experience is critical to establish,especially in urban environments where the effects of non-point source pollution are compounded
y the high density of people and where creek channels are often modified in an effort to control flooding and channel erosion. The
data that is collected will be published in the Atlas,providing a citizen connection to government-sponsored watershed involvement.
Likewise,the information presented in the Atlas will serve as the framework for future activities,such as initiation of formal
atershed-specific planning processes and implementation of actual restoration projects.
. What are the potential benefits to the local community,and how will those benefits be measured?
e hope this project will be a significant step toward more and more effective creek enhancement and protection,transforming the
reeks that wind through our communities into amenities rather than liabilities. We hope the project will expose citizens to the hidden
value of creeks,which are often one of the few natural resources in their neighborhood and key connection to the natural environment.
The number of creek and watershed restoration projects that take place as a result of the minformation gleaned from this project will
e a good indicator of success. Also,continued and expanded participation of a diverse range of interests in watershed events and
Tanning activities will be another good indicator.
g. How will the project benefits be distributed equitably within the community?
The project has a county-wide scope and will present benefits on a geographically equitable basis,regardless of how urbanized or
rural a particular watershed may be.
h. How does your project promote local community involvement with the continued development and implementation of the
CALFED Bay Delta Program?
The primary elements of the Bay Delta program that this project will promote are the Ecosystem Restoration and Water Quality
Program aspects. Citizens involved in developing the Atlas and collecting field data on creeks will gain an understanding of how
restoring fisheries and other resources on their locals creeks ties into the larger CALFED effort to restore the health of the hub of the
Contra Costa County creek network,and of watersheds covering much of the rest of the state,the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary
system.
J CALFED
-9 MY-DELTA
® PROGWI CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 3
3. Describe how the concept demonstrates the value and contributions of watershed management(using a community based
and locally led approach)to achieving CALFED goals for the Bay delta system and broader solution area(see Section 7).
Our proposal illustrates the key role that locally-driven watershed management efforts can play in CALFED's larger effort to restore
he Bay-Delta system. CALFED proposes ambitious,comprehensive restoration of the Delta habitat and the Delta species. However,
he Delta is only the most visible component of the larger estuary system,and restoring the health of the Delta is dependent to some
degree on restoring the health of its tributaries. These tributaries are the source of its water and the destination of many of the
igratory species which pass through. Restoring the health of these tributaries could not be accomplished through a centralized
cosystem restoration process. Tributary watersheds present an array of impairments and restoration opportunities so vast that local
involvement and initiative is essential. In Contra Costa County we lack key baseline information on the resources and needs of our
atersh�ds. Our proposal seeks to fill this gap and promote additional local participation in watershed assessment and management.
In this way,we can restore and protect important local resources,such as historic steelhead and salmon runs and creek water quality,
that contribute,at least in a small way,to the overall goal of restoring the Bay-Delta system.
Describe how the proposal promotes one or more of the initial implementation priorities of the Watershed Program(see
Section 5).
This project will promote all three initial implementation priorities. The project will:
• Facilitate local leadership in developing educational outreach programs about the community's watershed.
o Give locals an opportunity to collect needed baseline watershed characteristics by providing tools and training.
o Include consensus-derived objectives about watershed management actions in the County Watershed Atlas.
• Collect baseline data for status of watersheds throughout the county in order to begin a coordinated and comprehensive
discussion of watershed management strategies.
o Introduce new groups to knowledge and experience of groups that have already embarked on the process of developing
watershed management plans.
o Groups in the process of developing watershed management plans will have a chance to refine the goals of their plans with new
information to be collected by the GPS watershed mapping effort planned in this proposal.
• Upon collecting baseline data,groups will immediately put the information to use in collectively writing the analysis portion of the
watershed chapter that will describe, among other things, opportunities for restoration, and general recommendations for their
watershed.
o Specific projects will be aided in securing funding for implementation by documenting how those projects have broad
recognition.
o Watersheds without high citizen involvement will benefit from the countywide initiative to gather baseline information.
(� CALFED
-d RAY-DELTA
® PROG i CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 4
5. Describe how your proposal will establish or enhance a partnership between the local community and the CALFED Bay
Delta Program.
• CALFED has already funded watershed planning efforts on Kirker Creek and Alhambra Creek. These efforts,though at different
stages,will be integral to the baseline data collection effort in their contribution of experience and knowledge. In turn,these
planning efforts will benfit from the development of the baseline GIS this project would generate.
• More broadly,this project is a first step toward restoration of the creek and watershed resources of Contra Costa County, including
anadromous fisheries and creek water quality(examples of resources that have been impacted by the urbanization of our County).
Such restoration is a component of CALFED's effort to restore the Bay-Delta system. Community outreach for our project would
make clear this larger purpose and connection.
6. Describe how your project will promote information exchange,including project monitoring and the transfer of technical
information,among CALFED and others interested in watershed management.
• All activities of the Contra Costa Watershed Forum are documented on the forum's website www.cocowaterweb.org.
• Archived meeting agendas and minutes are accessible to the public.
• The proposed project will be initiated from the watershed forum meetings and documentation of meeting results will also be
available from the website.
• GPS data collected from this project along with other publicly available datasets will be cataloged and described in the Atlas to
publicize existence of the data and avoid time consuming and avoidable efforts of duplication.
he County Watershed Atlas and Creek Restoration Strategy will be the main product of combining the results of the community
utreach and education phase with the watershed assessment phase. This document is key to getting the entire county on the same
age of understanding the baseline watershed characteristics and planned activities within each watershed. This will be a good
resource for all levels of ecosystem management involving watersheds in the county's jurisdiction. Through funds budgeted in the
proposal to the SWRCB,this document will be published on the Watershed Forum website in an interactive format with electronically
available data with instant access.
CALFED
-, BAY-DELTA
® PROGRAM CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 5
7. Describe here any other important aspects of your program that you could not address in the above items,and that you
feel are critical to fully describing your concept.
• Data collected will complement mapping tools such as the nascent Land Use GIS being developed by the community development
department and the 1:400 countywide aerial orthophotos under development by the Public Works Department.
a Facilitating extensive Outreach and Education beyond the regular participants of the Watershed Forum will strengthen the
outcome of the countywide watershed assessment.
• Results from outreach will benefit projects in progress that are being carried out through sub-groups of the Forum. For example
more projects will be added to the database being developed by the Mitigation Coordination Committee of the Forum.This
committee is trying to match mitigation dollars from development to planned restoration and enhancement projects in need of
funding.
• Outreach and promotion of watershed awareness is critical at a time when the largest bond measure in the history of the US was
passed. County residents need to be aware that the opportunity for funding projects exists and that the time to conceive projects
that have high potential to become fulfilled has arrived. Efforts are also underway to consider additional local funding measures
for open space resources,and creek and watershed activities could be included in future such programs if citizen interest so
warrants.
Do you anticipate a desire for possible technical assistance from CALFED to fully develop your proposal?Y N
If yes,what type of assistance do you anticipate?
Not at this time.
Thank you for your consideration.
PW CALFED
&4Y-DELTA
�. PROGMI CALFED Watershed Program Proposal Solicitation Package
January,2001 6