Forty million federal dollars could be on the way here for the restoration of more than 50,000 acres of San Pablo Bay and related waterways. That means, among other things, re-establishing key portions of the original marshes with flood control and wildlife habitat in mind.
The funding is part of the Water Resources Development Act, which would allocate up to $14 billion over the next 15 years for restoration of the nation's rivers, harbors and other watersheds. The latest version of the act, introduced March 12 by Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., passed the House of Representatives on April 20, with an overwhelming 394-25 vote. Approval by the Senate is expected in less than a year, and no one is predicting a presidential veto.
"Federal authorization for these important flood control and conservation projects is long overdue," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who worked with the Sonoma County-based Bay Institute to identify projects needed in this area. "The San Pablo Bay watershed is among the richest watersheds in the American West."
If all goes as expected, flood control and restoration of San Pablo Bay would amount to the same thing. The idea is to return portions of the bay marshes that were diked and drained for agricultural purposes to original conditions. Benefits would include absorption of stormwater that would otherwise cause severe floods, recharge of the aquifers below and improved and expanded habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
"This is not about building dikes," said Marc Holmes of the Bay Institute. "It's just the opposite."
Almost half the marshland in the bay, Homes said, has already been acquired by public entities or conservationist nonprofits for restoration purposes. In this area, for example, the Sonoma Land Trust has acquired about 1,800 acres near Infineon Raceway.
At least one of the local farmers who has been fighting back the marshes with dikes in order to grow hay also appears willing to sell.
An example of the possible, Homes said, is the lagoon on the south side of the intersection of Highways 121 and 37. Until 1998, he said, it was a hayfield.
If the sale and the funding come through more dikes will come down. While they protect the farm fields under normal weather conditions, Homes said, they also prevent water from flowing out to the bay or filling the remaining marshes during major storms, contributing to the intensity of local floods.
Restoration of damage from past floods is also in the package. The broken down banks of Sonoma Creek could be reestablished and strengthened with rock and vegetation, a move that would help to prevent future washouts and related floods.
Restoring marshland also means increasing the amount of water that will trickle down into local aquifers, contributing to the water supply. California, which has lost 90 percent of its natural wetlands, has been suffering from increasingly intense and frequent water shortages.
What's good for the humans, Homes stressed, is great wildlife.
"The focus is also on migratory birds," he said. "People come from all over to see the birds and the wetlands."
The Bay Institute, the Sonoma County Resource Conservation District and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has acquired some of the marshland, are expected to submit proposals for specific projects. The Army Corps of Engineers, which has authority over wetland impacts, would oversee the necessary work.
The Water Resources Development Act is the culmination of a five year attempt at securing a watershed restoration package. "For the last three years the Democrats have not been in charge," Holmes pointed out. "There was no traction from the Republican Congress."
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