Meeting in Cloverdale will discuss projects up for grant funding in Russian River watershed
The Russian River Watershed Association (RRWA) has announced that the grant-funded Storm Water Resource Plan (SWRP) for the Russian River watershed is now available for public comment. Citizens wishing to comment can do so on their website, or attend an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center.
RRWA will discuss the background and development of the SWRP, and the input that has led to the current draft. Comments will also be accepted and discussed at the public meeting. The comment period will close on April 23. The final draft is expected sometime in May.
According to its website, on June 30, 2016, the RRWA was awarded a $500,000 storm water planning grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. RRWA staff, member agencies and collaborators are now working together to develop the SWRP for the Russian River watershed.
The purpose of the SWRP is to identify and prioritize projects that improve the use of storm water as a resource and “bringing to the top” those multi-benefit projects that can best meet the identified priorities on a watershed basis.
The SWRP must satisfy the requirements of Senate Bill 985, which authorizes cities, counties or special districts to develop a storm water resource plan as well as State Water Board SWRP guidelines to establish eligibility for local agencies and organizations to receive future state storm water grant funds.
The RRWA states it has received 94 project concept submittals to date for consideration by the SWRP project team. Additional project ideas continue to be submitted and may be included, if appropriate, without being prioritized. The final deadline for project submittal is April 23, 2018.
Projects may be included in the SWRP if they provide two or more main benefits and at least one additional benefit. Main benefits, as described by the RRWA include: increased filtration and/or treatment of runoff; water supply reliability; conjunctive use; decreased flood risk by reducing runoff rate and/or volume; environment habitat protection and improvement including wetland enhancement and/or creation, riparian enhancement and/or instream flow improvement; employment opportunities created; and public education.
Additional benefits include: nonpoint source pollution control; reestablished natural water drainage and treatment; water conservation, reduced sanitary sewer overflows; reduced energy use, greenhouse gas emission or provides a carbon sink; reestablishment of the natural hydrograph; and enhance and/or create recreational and public use areas.
Among the entities in Sonoma County submitting projects are the City of Healdsburg, the City of Cloverdale, the City of Rohnert Park, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the Laguna Foundation, Permit Sonoma, the Town of Windsor, Daily Acts, the Sonoma County Water Agency, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the County of Sonoma, the City of Santa Rosa and Sonoma State University.
The projects submitted by the City of Healdsburg include a parcel based storm water management and recycling program, reconstruction of the community center playing fields, work on the grounds of the Cerri building, West Plaza parking lot reconstruction, pavement reduction for storm water management on Healdsburg Avenue, Grove Street and North Street detention basin improvements, field replacement at Recreation Park and Healdsburg High School, improvements to the recycled water system and Pordon-Bianca storm drain and sanitary sewer and various projects on Foss Creek.
Copies of the draft plan, a comment portal, maps and a timeline are all available at rrwatershed.org/project/stormwater-resource-plan/. The public meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 17 from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, 209 North Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale.
