To: Board of Director Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Joan Hultberg / 547-1902
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): First and Third
Title:
Title
Santa Rosa Creek Fish Passage Improvements Planning Grant
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution Approving the Application for Grant funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board for the Santa Rosa Creek Fish Passage Improvement Planning Project and Related Actions.
B) Authorize the General Manager of Sonoma County Water Agency, or designee, to execute a grant agreement with the California Wildlife Conservation Board for the Santa Rosa Creek Fish Passage Improvements Planning Project; total project cost of $560,000, with grant funds of $274,000 and Flood Control Zone 1A funds of $286,000.
(First and Third District)(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Water Agency has obtained grant funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board to plan and design improvements to fish passage in Santa Rosa Creek. Three sites along the Santa Rosa Creek were prioritized for their potential to maximize safe fish passage and mobility through a critical 14 mile stretch of the Santa Rosa Creek. The project design also will reduce or eliminate the frequent debris blockages that occur at the fish ladder, reducing the need for flood-event maintenance activities.
Discussion:
The State of California’s Wildlife Conservation Board administers the Wildlife Corridor and Fish Passage Grant Program (Grant Program), funded by California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68). Sonoma Water submitted an application for a planning grant to develop a final design plan to repair or replace three fish passage sites within Santa Rosa Creek, located in Santa Rosa, California. The planning project will include Final Design, Environmental Review and Permitting, and Grant Administration. The three sites along the Santa Rosa Creek were prioritized for their potential to maximize safe fish passage and mobility through a critical 14-mile stretch of the Santa Rosa Creek.
The overall goal of the project is to create a design that will eliminate temporal fish passage barriers at the three sites by modifying or replacing infrastructure such as fish ladders and grade control sills. These modifications would expand the flow range of the structures, making them passable for a longer period of time throughout the year. Additionally, the structures will be less dependent on irregular, flood-event maintenance activities.
The project will be designed to improve fish passage at three sites and reduce or eliminate the frequent debris blockages that occur under existing conditions. Site 1 is the Fish Ladder Extension at E. Street, located in a disadvantaged community at the entrance to the Santa Rosa Creek tunnel running under downtown Santa Rosa. Site 2 is the fish ladder upstream of a vortex tube under Montgomery Drive. Site 3 is a grade control sill upstream of Site 2 (see Figure 1 for a project location map). Addressing these barriers will improve access to approximately 14 miles of spawning and rearing habitat, with five miles in the reach through the eastern portion of the City of Santa Rosa and up to nine miles in the upper portion of the watershed.
Sonoma Water submitted an application to the Grant Program to fund part of the design (planning) of this project. The application requested $274,000 in grant funds and offered $286,000 in Sonoma Water match funds from the Flood Control Zone 1A fund, for a total project cost of $560,000.
There is robust backing for this project from public agencies and community stakeholders for its benefit to native fish and the local community. Letters of support for the project were submitted to the Wildlife Conservation Board by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, City of Santa Rosa’s Creek Stewardship Program, Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Resource Conservation District, Trout Unlimited, and University of California Sea Grant Program.
In late 2019, the Grant Program informed Sonoma Water that the Santa Rosa Creek Fish Passage Improvement Planning Project will be recommended for funding to the Wildlife Conservation Board at its Board meeting in May of 2020. The Grant Program requires a resolution from Sonoma Water’s governing board approving the application, certifying that Sonoma Water will comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations applicable to the project, and authorizing Sonoma Water’s General Manager or designee to execute, submit, and sign all documents, agreements, and payment requests which may be necessary for the completion of the project.
Next Steps:
If your Board adopts this resolution and the Wildlife Conservation Board approves project funding in May 2020, Sonoma Water will work with Wildlife Conservation Board to negotiate and execute the grant agreement, in a form approved by County Counsel. Staff will begin a state-compliant competitive selection process to identify a qualified consultant to design the project. Sonoma Water will return to your Board for approval of that contract and a project update.
Recommendation
Staff recommends your Board adopt the resolution approving the application project, authorizing Sonoma Water’s General Manager or designee to execute the grant agreement, and related actions. If your Board does not adopt the resolution, Sonoma Water would continue maintenance of clogged fish ladders and sediment removal per its Stream Maintenance Plan, however it would not be able to improve conditions at the sites. Opportunities and benefits lost would include maximized safe fish passage, the ability to provide safe, timely, and effective passage of native species through Santa Rosa Creek, and the reduction of risk of physical injury and stress to those species.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
102,000 |
378,000 |
80,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
102,000 |
378,000 |
80,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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|
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General Fund/WA GF |
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|
|
|
State/Federal |
35,900 |
210,100 |
28,000 |
|
Fees/Other |
66,100 |
167,900 |
52,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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|
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Contingencies |
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|
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Total Sources |
102,000 |
378,000 |
80,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Budget amount of $102,000 is available from FY 2019/2020 appropriations in the Flood Control Zone 1A Laguna Mark West Fund, which is funded by property taxes. FY 2020/2021 and FY 2021/2022 appropriations will be budged in those fiscal years. Offsetting revenue of $274,000 will be coming from Wildlife Conservation Board.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Resolution
Figure 1: Project location map
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None