Updating Sonoma Creek Watershed Plan

The Sonoma Creek Watershed is an area of creeks and tributaries covering some 170 square miles, flanked on the west by the Sonoma Mountain Range and on the east by the Mayacamas Mountains, and extending in the north from Kenwood to San Pablo Bay. It’s an area rich in habitat and natural resources, from salmon to sheer beauty. The health of the watershed is important for the health and livelihood of those in the immediate vicinity, but also because of its impact on the bay. In 1997, after a two-year effort, the Sonoma Creek Watershed Enhancement Plan was drawn up in order to provide a local voice on watershed management issues and communicate needs. Now, they are updating the plan.
In a stakeholders’ meeting on Jan. 28, vineyard owners, agricultural land owners, community members and local, state, and federal agencies met to begin what they see as a one-year process updating the plan and incorporating into it new knowledge, as well as new awareness of the probable effects of climate change upon the area. This watershed plan will be put together to frame the key issues affecting the watershed, create a list of studies and projects that can be implemented, and identify projects that provide multiple benefits.
Some of the areas they will be looking at include water supply and water quality, groundwater supply and retention, use of recycled water and other implement-able site-specific types of projects, such as stabilizing banks, re-vegetation, putting in buffers to slow erosion, assisting landowners in best management practices, and educating residents about a variety of soil and water conservation techniques.
This last means educating landowners in new techniques of collecting water and slowing water before it runs into the creek. “There are lots of techniques being used right now,” said Susan Haydon, Assistant District Manager of the Resource Conservation District. “Our task is getting people to understand how the system works.” Education and outreach will be a big part of the on-going effort. “People are worried about water supply, flood control, growth, sustainability, and economic vitality,” she said, “some of the same basic issues that our parents and other generations were looking at. We know a little bit more, but still not enough.”
They’re looking for participation from all sectors of the community. “This is about local control,” said Haydon. “It’s about all the folks in the watershed having a voice, and we welcome participation and input from all stakeholders.”
The next meeting will be in March. The group hopes that by summer or fall, they’ll have a draft document prepared that they will then be able to share with the larger community in order to get feedback.