Creek management effort begins
By Nancy Isles Nation
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The county public works department has launched a program to coordinate flood management and habitat restoration in Marin's 1,050 miles of creeks.Public Works Director Farhad Mansourian outlined a plan Tuesday that would incorporate watershed management with efforts to restore fish passages for threatened coho salmon and steelhead.
Mansourian told supervisors his staff developed the program after the county was inundated by floods on New Year's Eve.
The program will encourage the participation of property owners near creeks, and will require state and federal grants, as well as local money, he said.
The program involves hiring two additional public works employees at a cost of about $225,000 a year, he added.
Mansourian said it is time for a comprehensive approach to watershed management and include the owners of creek banks that are not under county control.
"Many miles are privately owned and not maintained and we think that's old school," Mansourian said. "The whole program is to bring everybody together."
Board President Susan Adams commended the public works effort.
"Sometimes, these interjurisdictional issues block us from being able to do the right thing," Adams said.
The Ross Valley Watershed Improvement Program is considered the county's pilot planning effort for including ecological and environmental enhancement as well as flood-damage reduction designs in planning procedures.
The goal is to develop watershed management plans for each of Marin's flood control watersheds that also address fisheries and habitat enhancement.
The initial watersheds in the program will be Novato Creek and Vineyard Creek in Novato, Miller Creek in Marinwood, Corte Madera Creek, Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio in Mill Valley, San Geronimo Creek and Easkoot Creek. Other creeks will be addressed in a second phase.
Plans will be coordinated with other public agencies such as the Marin Municipal Water District, the open space district and the National Parks Service.
Flood control and habitat improvements could begin in 2008 if funds are available.
Supervisors authorized Mansourian to begin to submit grant applications to state and federal agencies.
Contact Nancy Isles Nation via e-mail at civiccenter@neteze.com