San Antonio Creek Bridge completed

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this week officially opening the new bike path bridge at the San Antonio Creek confluence.  Construction began in September closing this section of the Ojai Valley Trail which runs along the river between Foster Park and the city of Ojai.  The project was completed ahead of schedule, re-opening the section of the popular trail.

The bridge was designed to span the floodplain, which is very wide in this location.  It appears our comments were heard, as the final product is a much longer bridge than originally planned.  The work was conducted so as not to disturb the adjacent pool, another concern that we had voiced during environmental review.

The bridge replaces a concrete culvert that passed low flows but was inundated during storms, preventing bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and also hindering steelhead passage into San Antonio Creek. The $1.8 million project was paid for through state and federal grants for fisheries enhancement, as well as $500k from Ventura County Parks.  The Channel Islands Bike Club also contributed $17k to the project.

The path was damaged during the 2005 floods, necessitating temporary reconstruction and the placement of rip-rap to prevent future streambank erosion.  The new bridge will solve this problem, and allow for the natural vegetation to re-establish along this part of the river.  Vegetation is important for fish and wildlife as it provides food and cover as well as shade to help keep the water cool in the hot summer months.

Rock rip-rap placed to protect bike path damaged in 2005
This was replaced with a new bridge in 2012

These types of projects, along with larger goals like removing Matilija Dam and restoring instream flows, are identified in the NOAA Steelhead Recovery Plan.  And although this expensive project will help the fish, the users of the this river trail will also benefit from an all-weather crossing and the aesthetic appeal of this unique bridge.

In the news:  http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/12/trail-bridge-opens-promising-benefits-to-people/


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San Antonio Creek bike path bridge

According to the sign on the bike path, the Ojai Valley Trail will be closed for the winter at the confluence with San Antonio Creek.  A bridge will be constructed over the creek.

We commented on this bridge during the planning stages in 2009:  http://www.venturariver.org/2009/11/sa-creek-bridge.html

San Antonio Creek Flooding Study

Report titled: DEBRIS PRODUCTION AND FLOOD HAZARD EVALUATION FOR PLANNING, SAN ANTONIO CREEK WATERSHED, VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 


From the executive summary:  San Antonio Creek drains approximately 50 square miles in the Ventura River Basin in western Ventura County, California. Recurring floods along San Antonio Creek and its tributaries, including Lion, Reeves, and Thacher Creeks, have resulted in millions of dollars in damages in Upper Ojai and Ojai Valleys, and in the canyon downstream. The Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD), in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Ventura County Resource Conservation District, developed an approximated floodplain map as part of ongoing efforts to reduce flood-related damages to agricultural and rural residential properties. 

This information will be used to identify alternatives for protecting agricultural and rural residential properties that have potential for flooding during a 100-year storm event. 

This project was presented at the August meeting of the Ventura River Watershed Council. The study used computer models to analyze the effects of sediment (debris) flows delivered from the mountains into the Ojai Valley.  The entire valley is geologically made up of 'alluvium' eroded from the steep mountains over tens of thousands of years.  Traditional flood control uses debris basins and concrete channels to trap sediment and flush water off the land, often having negative effects on downstream property.  The study stopped short of making any recommendations, but should be considered as we move forward with watershed planning.

An overview poster of the study can be dowloaded here:

San Antonio Creek-WPD_Flood_Control_Study_2011_POSTER.pdf  (1.2Mb)

the main body may be downloaded here:
San Antonio Creek-WPD_Flood_Control_Study_2011_main body of report.pdf (15.3Mb)

San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds

On Tuesday April 26, the Ventura County board of Supervisors approved the environmental document for the San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds project.

Although the project has broad support from the water agencies, the resource agencies (NOAA and DFG) have filed letters on the project. NOAA filed a protest to the State Water Board.

At issue is whether appropriation of surface water will affect endangered steelhead and it's habitat. The final MND environmental document includes these graphs that illustrate the quantity of water that will be diverted into the spreading basins for infiltration and injection into the groundwater basin.

During the hearing it was stated that the project was designed so that diversion flows comply with downstream needs, based upon comments from DFG and the City of Ventura. Quoting the MND;

Surface flow diversion would be a passive system, designed such that water levels at the intake structure would dictate the timing and amount of the diversion. Therefore, the volume of water diverted would increase as the water level in the creek rises, and decrease as water levels decline. Table 1 provides proposed surface water diversion rates based on the design of the system and placement of the intake structure in San Antonio Creek. Surface flow in San Antonio Creek would need to be 150 cfs for the proposed facility to operate at capacity (25 cfs). A graph of the designed relationship between surface flow rate and diversion rate is provided as Plate 3. Real time operational changes to terminate diversion when minimum flows are reached should not be necessary. Compliance with minimum flows (11 cfs at the point of diversion, 5 cfs at Grand Avenue) would be enforced by the State Water Resources Control Board through monitoring and reporting by the District.

The project still requires additional permits before construction can begin, currently scheduled for Fall 2011.

More info: http://portal.countyofventura.org/portal/page/portal/PUBLIC_WORKS/Watershed_Protection_District/What%27s_New

http://www.venturariver.org/2009/11/san-antonio-creek-spreading-grounds.html



COMMENTS: I testified to the Board that they should delay the approval of the environmental document until the water rights issue is worked out. I also said that without a watershed plan, or even a water budget, it is unclear how much benefit or impact this project would have on a watershed scale. If such a plan was in place, along with conjunctive use agreements for surface water/groundwater management, the resource agencies could be assured that in-stream flows would be maintained and/or enhanced with projects like this.



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San Antonio Creek Bridges

Two bridges are under construction on San Antonio Creek, a major tributary to the Ventura River. Both have received fisheries restoration grants for the potential benefits of barrier removal.

1) Old Creek Rd Bridge

This is the construction that is visible at the 'Arnaz Grade' on highway 33. Ventura County received $1M for steelhead enhancement to replace the low water crossing over San Antonio Creek on Old Creek Rd. The new $2.5M bridge on a dead-end road will serve approximately 35 residents, and moved forward despite numerous comments that cheaper alternatives existed. (A short emergency right-of-way could have provided access to nearby Sulphur Mountain Rd) "According to county specifications, the bridge will be a 210-foot-long, two-span, cast-in-place concrete box girder bridge designed to clear the 100-year floodplain."

According to Ventura County documents the total cost of this project is over $3.5M. From Board of Supervisors meeting this week, a change order for an additional $40k was approved for biological consulting after the endangered red-legged frog was found at the construction site.

In the news: Old Creek Road getting safety makeover with $2.5M bridge

more: http://ovnblog.com/?p=3011


2) Lion Creek Bridge

Lion Creek is a tributary to San Antonio Creek, and is ephemeral in the lower reach in some years, with perennial water in the upper reaches of the canyon.

According to CDFG documents, "this project improves fish access for adult and juvenile steelhead to 9.5 miles of upstream habitat in Lion Creek, which is a tributary to San Antonio Creek in Ventura County. The project is collaboration between private, non-profit, local, state, and federal agencies. It includes demolition of an existing low water crossing, which was replaced with an 85 ft long X 13.75 ft wide Railspan steel flatcar bridge. Steelhead are now able to access medium to high quality habitat in the upper reaches of Lion Creek, thereby facilitating migration for spawning adults and over-summering juveniles.

More information and photos are here: http://lioncreek.blogspot.com/

Project managed by South Coast Habitat Restoration

View Ventura River in a larger map

SA Creek Bike Path

This season's rains raised river flows enough to damage the Ojai bike path where it crosses San Antonio Creek.

Although there are plans to construct a bridge to solve the problem and alleviate the ongoing impacts, County workers were out this week adding new riprap to the streambank and replacing the damaged asphalt path with new concrete.

This illustrates the 'chain reaction' effect of hardening a streambank. 'End effect' increases downstream erosion, necessitating ever more rock and concrete. Streambank hardening also results in loss of trees and shrubs which provide habitat and cooling shade important for our native species.

San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds

San Antonio Creek Spreading Grounds Rehabilitation Project (V-2)

BACKGROUND
The 'spreading grounds' historically existed to recharge groundwater in the Ojai basin using water delivered through the Matilija Conduit from Matilija reservoir. This was the primary intent of Matilija Dam when constructed in 1948, but the practice was discontinued with the construction of Casitas reservoir in 1956.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project would rehabilitate the historic spreading grounds to enhance groundwater recharge using water diverted from upper San Antonio Creek below Senior Canyon. The project includes construction of recharge wells, as well as a monitoring well.

PROJECT GOALS
• Diversion of a portion of the precipitation that is typically lost from within the San Antonio Creek Sub-Watershed to the rehabbed spreading grounds using project facilities.
• Increase the groundwater recharge and storage in the Ojai Valley Groundwater Basin (OVGB), thereby enhancing the reliability of production from local water supply wells.
• Reduce local reliance on already-limited surface water supplies from the Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD.)




A stakeholder group inclusive of the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency, the Ojai Water Conservation District, the Golden State Water Company, the Casitas Municipal Water District, and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District is working cooperatively to complete this groundwater recharge and supply project.



The $1.4 Million project is funded by the combination of a $1.3 Million Prop 50 Implementation Grant from the State of California and approximately $100,000 in local match contributions from the five stakeholders.

Watersheds Coalition website

SA Creek Bridge

OJAI VALLEY TRAIL BRIDGE AT SAN ANTONIO CREEK

Ventura County Parks Department is planning to construct a bridge at the confluence of San Antonio Creek and the Ventura River. Funding would come from state and federal salmonid restoration grants.

This project will enhance the bike trail as well as improve fish passage up San Antonio Creek.


The project consists of the replacement of the Ojai Valley Trail culvert crossing with a bridge at San Antonio Creek, including removal of the existing culverts and associated fill, construction of the bridge and site restoration. Based on conceptual plans developed to date, the bridge would have an overall length of 790 feet, including approach ramps. The bridge span would be approximately 510 feet. The bridge deck elevation would be at about 323 feet, about 10 to 12 feet higher than the existing trail surface elevation. The bridge would be designed to support pedestrians and bicycles, and occasional light-weight patrol vehicles (golf cart-sized). The bridge approach ramp grade would be 5 percent or less to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.


This diagram was included in our comment letter, suggesting that moving the bridge a short distance up SA Creek (yellow line) would allow for a shorter bridge and eliminate future impacts at the bend in the river. We also wrote that biologists documented significant numbers of fish in the pool this year, and realignment of the river should minimize dewatering downstream pools (red line.)

We also suggested that this project should be coordinated with other objectives, including

• Water Infrastructure Upgrade/Relocation
• Bike trail realignment into oak woodland
• Equestrian trail realignment/management plan to reduce impacts
• Levee removal – northern 300 ft(?) is obsolete
• Riparian Restoration/ floodplain enhancement/steelhead habitat creation

A Public Hearing will be held Nov 24, 2009 at 10:30 am at the County Board of Supervisors.
For more information contact project manager Theresa Lubin 805-654-3968