Letter: Santa Clara River Estuary

January 16, 2018

Gina Dorrington
Ventura Water
501 Poli Street, Room 120 Ventura, CA 93002
via email: gdorrington@venturawater.net

RE: SCRE Special Studies – Water Recycling Opportunity

Dear Ms. Dorrington:

The Ventura County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has voiced concerns with water quality at the mouth of the Santa Clara River since our Blue Water Task Force identified high bacteria levels at this popular surfing location in the early 1990’s. Recognizing the benefits of integrated water management, the Surfrider Foundation has been a longtime proponent of recycled wastewater to enhance our coastal ecosystems. Wastewater discharges have historically impaired coastal water quality, and even with advances in technology, increased nutrient levels impact receiving waters.

We would like to re-state our support for 100% recycling of the city’s wastewater to eliminate the discharge into the Santa Clara River Estuary.

We do not concur with the analysis presented at the November stakeholder meeting that oversimplify the ecosystem associated with the Santa Clara River Estuary (SCRE.) Indeed, as other commenters have noted, this system is in fact much more representative of a coastal lagoon, since it does not maintain a perennial opening to the ocean. Indeed, it is this fact that creates the problems with the wastewater discharge. Without a regular exchange between the lagoon and the ocean, nutrient rich wastewater accumulates in an unnatural manner behind the beach berm. Only during large winter storm events or human intervention does this lagoon breach. This results in unnaturally high water levels and poor water quality.

Finding of Enhancement is Flawed:

Any conclusion that determines that the lagoon is enhanced by the wastewater discharge are flawed. Although the resource agencies rightly are concerned for the endangered and special status species that rely on habitat at the mouth of the Santa Clara River, current conditions limit, rather than support those species. The unnaturally high water levels resulting from the discharge create a simplified pond habitat that is subject to episodic draining. Sea water exchange, a necessary part of this ecosystem, is also precluded with the flooded lagoon. The elimination of habitat complexity and poor water quality has created an ideal habitat for non-native species, most prominently carp. From our experience on the Ventura River, carp are the predominant fresh water species below the Ojai Sanitary District discharge on the lower Ventura River, relegating this reach to migratory status for the endangered Southern Steelhead. Steelhead may survive in such an environment, but they certainly wouldn’t choose it.

An Opportunity for Ecosystem Benefits:

A more complete ecosystem view of the situation has not been conducted as part of the SCRE analysis. By focusing exhaustively and exclusively on the Santa Clara River Estuary, the potential benefits of eliminating the wastewater discharge have not been fully considered. Consider this fact:

50% or more of the discharge originates from the Ventura River

The City of Ventura relies on a wellfield at Foster Park and surface storage from Lake Casitas for more than half the water supply. Both of these sources are currently stressed from over allocation during the prolonged drought.

How could a point source discharge directly into the Santa Clara River Estuary be considered to mimic “natural” processes and enhance the habitat, when much of the water originates from the adjacent watershed?

Most significantly, studies have documented the high quality spawning, rearing, and refugia habitat in the Ventura River upstream of the Foster Park wellfield. However, flows in this reach have become seriously impaired by over-extraction of groundwater, to the point that in recent years this refugia habitat has dried up for extended periods during the critical summer and fall months. It should be noted that this reach of the Ventura River was historically known as the “live reach,” for the rising groundwater in the vicinity of Casitas Springs, which was also named for this phenomenon. These are precisely the conditions that favor native species such as the southern steelhead. Indeed, recent population surveys have documented the presence of native trout in this reach.

Water Budget Perspective:

Consider the potential benefits from developing a “new” supply from recycled water. These slightly outdated supply and demand numbers are taken from the City's 2013 Final Comprehensive Water Resources Report. It is evident from this graph that if 'new' sources of water are not found the city will outgrow its water supply in the near future.

The red arrow shows that the potential for recycled water in Ventura is close to 50% of demand. (Of course the actual volume would be less than this depending on treatment and reuse options, but this demonstrates the overall magnitude.) Therefore water recycling would provide an opportunity to eliminate the flooding problem at McGrath as well as offset municipal water demand (i.e. an 'integrated solution'.) This demand offset could provide an opportunity to reduce pumping at the Foster Park wellfield during dry months of the year to sustain the critical habitat within the “live reach” of the Ventura River.

Recommendation:

We encourage the City of Ventura and the stakeholder resource agencies to carefully reconsider the potential benefit from maximizing the recycled water potential. Rather than choosing to maintain an artificial pool at the Santa Clara River Estuary, which has very limited habitat benefits, demand offsets gained through recycling 100% of the wastewater effluent may be applied to the enhancement of the comparatively high quality habitat in the Ventura River. In turn, the coastal lagoon will return to a more natural hydrology with improved water quality and habitat, while also eliminating the non-native habitat conditions that are currently degrading the SCRE ecosystem.

Sincerely,

A. Paul Jenkin, M.S.
Ventura Campaign Coordinator, Surfrider Foundation (805) 205-4953 pjenkin@surfrider.org

cc: SCRE Stakeholder e-mail list 

References:
Steelhead Population and Habitat Assessment in the Ventura River / Matilija Creek Basin 2006-2012 FINAL REPORT

Ventura River Ecosystem - wastewater, VenturaRiver.org 

Mid Town Ventura - Know Your H2O

Last week I was the guest speaker at the Midtown Community Council.  The midtown community has taken the lead on neighborhood Ocean Friendly Gardens and Green Streets retrofits to address stormwater runoff from this urban area, so this was a welcome opportunity to provide insight on how local actions fit into the 'big picture.'

The Water Cycle has become the 'Cycle of Insanity'

Surfrider's 'Cycle of Insanity - the Real Story of Water' video illustrates how the water cycle, upon which we all depend, has been modified in so many ways that it has become a 'Cycle of Insanity.'  We have developed our urban areas to channel rainfall into storm drains that deliver polluted runoff directly to our rivers and coasts, wasting water that could be directed into our over-pumped aquifers.  Millions of gallons of treated wastewater is being discharged into the ocean - where desalinization plants are being proposed to pump that water back out of the ocean to remove the salt and sell it as a new water supply.  All of this wastes precious fresh water AND energy, further exacerbating the impacts of climate change.

In the Ventura region the signs of stress are evident - but not always seen as connected.  

Ventura River at Foster Park - July 2013

Flooding at McGrath State Beach

Problem:  The Ventura river is dry at Foster Park while McGrath State Beach is flooded - how can this be?

This is where it helps to

 Know Your H2O - where does your water come from, and where does it go?   

Know Your H2O: simplified schematic of where Ventura water comes from and where it goes

From this simplified schematic we can see that about half the city's water supply comes from the Ventura River.  The wells at Foster Park provide about 25% of the city's water, and there is a high demand from this good quality source which is used to dilute the poor groundwater from east side wells. 

About half of the total water used in the city is discharged as wastewater into the Santa Clara River estuary.   So while it may seem 'natural' to discharge treated water into the estuary, much of it does not even originate from the Santa Clara River watershed. In dry years (like this) when the sand berm does not breach and drain the estuary into the ocean, that 9 million gallons a day keeps accumulating, often flooding the state beach.  Artificial breaches have resulted in fish kills, so solutions to the flooding problem have been hard to reach.  

These supply and demand numbers are taken from the city's recent 2013 Final Comprehensive Water Resources Report.  It is evident from this graph that if 'new' sources of water are not found the city will outgrow its water supply  in the near future.  (Indeed, we may already be there, as another year of drought will spell trouble.)

Solutions:  The red arrow shows that the potential for recycled water in Ventura is close to 50% of demand.  (Of course the actual volume would be less than this depending on treatment and reuse options, but this demonstrates the overall magnitude.) Therefore water recycling would provide an opportunity to reduce the flooding problem at McGrath as well as offset demand to reduce pressure on the supplies.  (i.e. an 'integrated solution')  The City of Ventura is currently investigating recycling opportunities and in the short term installing a system for controlled pumping of the estuary into the ocean.

Urban Runoff and Ocean Friendly Gardens:

Map of the urban watershed draining into Pierpont Bay, Ventura, CA

Another symptom of the Cycle of Insanity in Ventura is urban runoff.  Surfrider has studied the downtown/midtown areas and mapped the underground storm drains.  This infrastructure effectively directly connects to the ocean almost every gutter downspout, driveway, street, and parking lot in the area.  The 'impervious' landscape turns even the smallest rainfall into runoff.

Problem: Within the Midtown area (Prince/Sanjon drainage) high runoff volumes flood Sanjon Road and pollute the beaches every time it rains.

While individual citizens often have little control over this infrastructure, the solution begins at home.  This is why Surfrider's 'Ocean Friendly Gardens' program is catching on throughout the region.

 Last year's Ocean Friendly Garden project in the Midtown area not only installed a residential garden, but also included the first 'curb cut' in Ventura.

Midtown Ocean Friendly Garden with 'curb cut'

The 'curb cut' expands the effectiveness of Ocean Friendly Gardens into the public right-of-way, directing runoff from the street into the median where it is infiltrated into the soil.  Any excess water that cannot be absorbed is filtered and released back into the street.

Green Streets are designed to capture runoff before it enters the storm drains

Although the City of Ventura has been slowly retrofitting some of the urban area and planning to implement a 'green streets' demonstration project, budget cuts recently forced the city council to reverse its 2008 'green streets' policy which funds these projects.

Solutions: A less costly community-based green streets approach may be to install curb-cut bioswales along an entire city block.  This would capture the majority of runoff before it enters the storm drain and ends up on the beach for a fraction of the cost of an engineered green street demonstration project.  This may soon become a reality in Midtown Ventura if a 'block party' can be organized!

Do you   KNOW YOUR H2O?

Surfrider's Know Your H2O campaign aims to educate communities about water management issues that affect the health of our watersheds, coast and ocean.  Taking the time to learn where your water comes from, and where it goes when it leaves your home is a first step. Once we understand the problems, and can see how to solve them, we can take action to make basic changes.  In this way a new philosophy of water management starts at home and spreads throughout our communities.

The first step is to understand what the problems are

Developing a common vision for a restored water cycle is essential
 to community-based  action

Actionable solutions like Ocean Friendly Gardens empower communities
 to make the changes required to protect our water for the future

Know Your H2O can be implemented within many
 scales and jurisdictions within a watershed

More info:

Watch the video: Cycle of Insanity - the Real Story of Water

Ocean Friendly Gardens: www.oceanfriendlygardens.org

Ventura Water Supply:  http://www.cityofventura.net/water/supply

Patagonia Bioswale/Parking Lot Retrofit

On this blog:

http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/H2O

http://www.venturariver.org/search/label/wastewater

Estuary breach kills fish
Urban Watershed Planning - Ventura CA
Ventura Adopts "Green Streets" Policy
Ventura Curb Cut

Sustainable Water Use in the Ventura River Watershed

On April 23, 2013 the Ventura River Watershed Council received a presentation from the UCSB/Bren School team on the results of their year-long Masters project titled 'Sustainable Water Use in the Ventura River Watershed.'

Bren project website http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~venturariver/

The project objectives are:

1. Create a comprehensive watershed model
2. Evaluate the effects of climate change and land use change on the water budget
3. Identify actionable water resource management projects
4. Propose a set of recommendations relevant to securing Proposition 84 funding, increasing water availability, and improving ecosystem function

The team based its analysis on a comprehensive water supply and demand model utilizing local data and the established WEAP software.  The model provides the opportunity to assess water management scenarios watershed-wide.  Development of this model was no small task given the complexity of our system with its multiple jurisdictions, water districts, and water users. Two graduate students worked as interns over the summer to compile data and 'connect the dots' between supply and demand throughout the watershed.  

Description of the Ventura River WEAP model

Once all the data was input, the model was validated by comparing modeled and measured stream flows and reservoir levels over the planning period.  From this a general water budget could be estimated. (note that this was based on the 'average' over the 1990-2009 planning period)

Water Budget from the Ventura River WEAP model

 Water management strategies were evaluated based on six criteria: ability to decrease demand, ability to increase supply, cost-effectiveness, benefits to ecosystem health, benefits to water quality, and suitability for Proposition 84 funding.  Results from the analysis suggest that, while climate and land use change have the potential to severely impact water availability within the watershed, implementing water resource management strategies can offset the impacts. 

Results for the Ocean Friendly Gardens scenario from the Ventura River WEAP model

Conclusions:

Consumer-based strategies such as ocean friendly gardens and greywater systems in single family homes were shown to be very cost-effective options for reducing water demand and increasing water supply, benefiting riparian ecosystem health. Although they are less cost-effective than consumer-based strategies, infrastructure-based solutions such as decentralized infiltration basins were shown to be viable pathways towards increasing water supplies and improving water quality. Results further suggest that the most effective option for decreasing demand within the watershed is by increasing water rates, thereby incentivizing conservation.

Recommendations:

• Encourage widespread adoption of ocean friendly gardens and greywater systems
• Implement a program to install a decentralized infiltration basins to capture stormwater runoff
• Increase lowest water rates in the watershed to the state average

Two workshops have been scheduled (May 16 and May 23) to train watershed council members so that this model can continue to be developed and used in watershed planning efforts.  For more info contact Bill O'Brien: billo@ngeneng.com

References:

Bren Project:

http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~venturariver/

Bren Final Report: http://gallery.mailchimp.com/23ecb819d89925323a8b96d15/files/Ventura_River_Final_Report_sm.pdf

WEAP Home page: http://www.weap21.org/

WEAP Tutorial: http://www.weap21.org/downloads/WEAP_Tutorial.pdf

On this blog:  http://www.venturariver.org/2012/05/ucsb-bren-school-project.html

Ventura Curb Cut

On Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, the Ventura Ocean Friendly Gardens team returned to the recently completed garden to take it one step further: the first residential 'curb cut' in Ventura.

Ocean Friendly Gardens apply the concepts of Conservation, Permeability, and Retention to convert a residential landscape from one that sheds water and contributes to runoff and ocean pollution to a climate appropriate garden that captures and infiltrates rainwater on site.


What is a 'curb cut?'  and why?

In cases where a public 'parkway' exists between the sidewalk and the street, cutting a notch in the curb allows rainwater to enter the parkway where it can be absorbed and cleansed.  This captures urban runoff before it reaches the storm drain.


The curb cut design was created by the Green Gardens Group (G3), a watershed-friendly design group who have been working with Surfrider and the City of Ventura (as well as other municipalities in Southern California) to provide professional training and design/oversight for Ocean Friendly Gardens.




Volunteers worked to dig out the parkway and transform the hard-packed grass into a permeable bioswale.

A 'french drain' was laid in a bed of gravel to ensure drainage once the soil becomes saturated.

Once the curb was cut and drainage installed, the parkway was planted and mulched.  The end result is a beautiful native landscape that captures and absorbs runoff from the street.  If the 'upstream' neighbor is washing a car, it waters the plants rather than pollutes the ocean. In heavy rains, excess water will re-enter the street on the downstream end of each bioswale, which will have removed most of the pollutants (car oil, fertilizers, trash, etc)

A series of projects like these installed the length of the street would effectively capture the 'first flush' runoff, which contains the majority of pollutants, and reduce the total volume of water entering the storm drain system.  In order to make this possible, the City of Ventura will soon be offering a standard design, no-cost permit for all City residents, a first in the nation!

Many thanks to all those who made this demonstration project possible, including the City of Ventura, Green Gardens Group, Paul Herzog and all the Surfrider Foundation volunteers who donated their sweat to help lead the way in solving the urban runoff problem!

This residence is the site of the recent Ventura Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) retrofit, funded by a State grant (Whale Tail License Plate Program). Turf grass was removed and the site was sheet mulched (smothered with compost, paper and mulch). Rain gutter downspouts were redirected into the landscape, filtering and utilizing rainwater as a resource. Native and some non-native-but-climate-appropriate plants were installed, and the irrigation was converted to drip. (See this for more details: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/ventura-chapter-teams-with-city-for-ocean-friendly-gardens-program-series).


In the news:  http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/01/volunteers-help-ventura-homeowners-rework/

More information:

surfrider.org coastal blog: taking-ofg-to-the-streets-parkway-curb-cut-bio-swale

Ventura OFG Campaign: http://ww2.surfrider.org/ventura/VenturaOFG.html

Surfrider's OFG page: http://www.surfrider.org/programs/entry/ocean-friendly-gardens

Solving the Urban Runoff Problem:  http://www.venturariver.org/2008/01/urban-watershed-planning-ventura-ca.html

Participant blog: http://www.lajohnny.com/404/green-streets-pilot-program-ventura-california/


Get involved:
Surfrider:             vcsrf.oceanfriendlygardens@gmail.com
City of Ventura:  Jill Sarick     jsarick@cityofventura.net     805-652-4501

...

UCSB Bren School project

The Watershed Council meeting this week included a presentation on a recently initiated project to develop a water budget for the Ventura River watershed by a team from the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management:

Sustainable Water Use in the Ventura River Watershed

A group of six graduate students from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara has initiated a year-long master’s thesis on sustainable water use in the Ventura River watershed. The team plans on taking an interdisciplinary approach towards identifying opportunities for economically and environmentally beneficial water management strategies within the watershed. In order to meet these goals the group plans to create a comprehensive water budget for the Ventura River watershed utilizing the WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning System) Model. This water budget will combine data from existing groundwater and surface water models with economic analysis for use in evaluating different water management scenarios.

The WEAP Model (www.weap21.org) is a software tool that assists resource planners with integrated water management. It has been used successfully to evaluate water quality and quantity issues worldwide, at a variety of scales, by a number of agencies and planners.

Once the model is set up, it can be used to evaluate the effects of changes in climate, water use, and management practices such as:

 Reusing urban greywater for irrigation and other non-potable uses in order to increase water-use efficiency.

 Installing decentralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Ojai to decrease energy costs associated with water transport.

 Implementing stormwater BMPs to improve water quality and to help achieve TMDLs for algae.

Using the WEAP Model, the team intends to identify easily-implementable projects which may result in significant savings in water, energy, and money throughout the watershed.

Improving the understanding of the water-budget by clearly mapping out the complex interconnections between various water uses and sources within the watershed is a necessary step towards integrated watershed management.

The team intends to create a tool that will be useful for water users and resource planners within the Ventura River watershed. In order to achieve this, it is critical that suggestions, comments, and criticisms from the community be considered at every step.

Please do not hesitate to contact the project team via email at: VenturaRiver@lists.bren.ucsb.edu

The team members are: Ryan Gardner, Naheed Iqbal, Austin Love, Brenda Ponton, Jake Sahl, Dan Yocum.  The Faculty Sponsor is Dr. Arturo Keller, Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management University of California Santa Barbara

More on the current Bren School Projects here:  http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/research/current_gp.htm

...

Surfers Point - New Bike Path

Work continues at Surfers' Point, with the new bike path beginning to take shape.

This is the view from the west end:

The concrete bike path is designed with a textured pattern, and will eventually connect with the promenade at Surfers' Point.

Below is the view from the east end, looking back toward the river. The gravel area is a permeable 'bioswale' that will be planted once the construction is complete.

The bioswale is designed to capture runoff from the bike path and half of the new parking lot as shown in the drainage plan below. For more info see this description of how a bioswale works.

Manure Movers

Here's another pollution solution for the manure problem...

At the Green Schools Conference in Ojai last weekend, I listened as a farmer described his problem of lack of nitrogen in the soil.

I brought up the irony that while he can't get enough fertilizer, the river is suffering from excess nitrogen. This nutrient problem is partially due to all the horse manure in the valley.

Turns out there is already at least one small operation serving Ojai Valley School and another horse facility.

This seems like a great 'green business' opportunity for someone who is able to match the supply with the demand...

manure solution?

Folks in Ojai have been researching potential solutions to the manure problem.

One big idea is creating marketable products from the waste, and in the process make a big step toward local sustainability. In this case, a BioDigester that would process collected manure and green waste into bioGas for use in vehicles or electricity generation. And the remaining solid waste would provide seed-free nutrients for local agriculture, further offsetting the use of petroleum-based fertilizers in the valley.

The Bio-digestion Plant would provide the following benefits:

• Local option for disposal
• Methane is used directly for energy
• Compost is sterilized
• Nutrients concentrated in liquid fertilizer
• Nutrients removed from stormwater runoff
• Greenhouse gases reduced (less methane released to the air)
• Less truck traffic/ transportation to disposal sites
• Reduced demand for fossil fuel energy
• Reduced demand on landfills
• Creates local jobs
• Creates educational example for energy independence and use of local resources

This is not a cheap project, but a local bioGas generation plant could solve multiple social and economic problems - the 'triple bottom line' of "people, planet, profit"

A UC Davis program has demonstrated the feasibility of the technology in partnership with Onsite Power Systems

more here:




Seems like a big opportunity for a smart investor... Others in Ventura County are already doing this, and winning awards while making money in the process: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/18/toland-road-landfill-making-money-and-energy/

For more information on the Ojai project please contact Bill O'Brien/Phil Sherman 805-658-6611

Tree People Los Angeles

What is Green Infrastructure?




Andy Lipkis, Founder and President of TreePeople, describes how this organization has pioneered an integrated approach to managing urban ecosystems as watersheds in the Los Angeles region. This involves strategic tree planting, tree-mimicking technologies, and community engagement to generate multiple solutions to the environmental threats facing our cities, including ensuring a sustainable water supply, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preventing water and air pollution, fostering stronger neighborhoods, and creating jobs. For a summary of TreePeople's six demonstration projects that are now collecting 1.25 million gallons of water every time it rains 1" in Los Angeles, visit www. treepeople.org. Video Going to Green: Planting Seeds of Change with Community Forestry produced by the Media & Policy Center Foundation for PBS.

Project 70266

"We know this is a long term project...
We'd like to get some seed money to get started..."

- Richard Bradley

#70266 refers to the City of Ventura Capital Improvement Plan

This week's Breeze includes an interview with Richard Bradley, Environmental Services Supervisor for the city's Public Works Department. The article highlight's Richard's 'green dream' for the city, which is seeking $300k in grant funds to begin planning for the Sanjon project.

Let's hope there is some 'green infrastructure' funding out there somewhere...

Sanjon Project in CIP

The City of Ventura recently released a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that outlines all the projects planned for 2009-2015. This plan includes many projects with stormwater components, including street and landscape improvements. The Sanjon urban watershed project that we have been developing for many years is on this CIP list, which gives City staff the go-ahead to seek grant funding to move this project forward.

According to the City Manager's report:

This Capital Improvement Project Plan (CIP) is the blueprint for investing in the vital infrastructure needed to protect and achieve that future vision. The City's infrastructure includes all city-owned assets and facilities, including streets, parks, beaches, open spaces, storm drains, water and wastewater installations.

Dream for the Future

Our dream for the future continues to be the protection of our natural resources while building a sustainable and environmentally sound infrastructure. The City will continue to establish itself as a national model for environmental sustainability. Our goals are to reduce green house emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, expand our green and open spaces, restore our natural environment and watersheds, and protect our rivers, ocean and waterways. Ventura will continue to be an urban leader in Smart Growth and Low Impact Development practices. Environmentally focused projects, which do not yet have funding, include a Green Infrastructure Demonstration project, Energy-Efficiency and Photovoltaic projects, and the Coastal Sanjon Watershed project. To build our dream, we will strive to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Tour of Ojai Meadows Preserve

The April meeting of the Ventura County Task Force of the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project was a site tour of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s restoration work at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.

The Ojai Meadows Preserve is a 58-acre site of valley and live oak, grasslands and wetlands. Over the past several years the OVLC has been working to restore the preserve as closely as possible to its native state by expanding the wetland, planting additional oaks, and reintroducing native grasses. The long-term objectives of the project include providing better habitat for wetland birds, raptors and other wildlife species and reducing flooding on the highway and adjacent property.

Derek Poultney, the OVLC’s project manager at the Preserve, led us on a tour of the Meadows and discussed the various components of the project, including restoration of the hydrology on the site, the work of consultants and volunteers, trail improvements, creation of swales and vernal pools, and restoration of native riparian, oak savannah and coastal sage scrub habitats.

Derek pointed out that this property was once slated to become a shopping mall, in which case all stormwater would have been directed into an underground storm drain system.

Listen as he describes the hydrologic and water quality benefits of this wetland restoration project:



(...hear those happy redwing blackbirds!)




Note: this is the Happy Valley Drain downstream of the preserve, that Derek describes as 'very artificial and undersized for the watershed'

What is a bioswale?

According to Wikipedia,

• "Bioswales are landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff

This is a key concept in restoring the landscape to not only reduce 'nonpoint source pollution,' but also to enhance groundwater recharge:

Ventura featured in 'Making Waves'

this article was published in Surfrider Foundation's Making Waves December 2008:


ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT Ventura, California:
A Watershed Approach to Restoring Coastal Resources

Since 1991, the Ventura County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has been working locally to protect and restore coastal resources. Initially spurred by beach erosion and degraded water quality at Surfers’ Point, the chapter quickly recognized that all coastal problems are a result of human activities on land. Coastal development, runoff from urban and agricultural areas, and unsustainable water management practices all add up to create problems within the nearshore environment. Centered on the Ventura River watershed, the Chapter’s projects are becoming examples of community-based restoration initiatives. When combined, these projects provide a framework for demonstrating the effectiveness of taking a watershed approach to Ecosystem-based Management.


COASTAL MANAGEMENT: Surfers’ Point Managed Shoreline Retreat

One of the formative issues in Ventura has been shoreline erosion at the county’s most popular surf break. Responding to the threat of a seawall, the chapter started a proactive campaign to relocate a poorly planned bike path and parking lot inland, an alternative approach now known as “managed shoreline retreat.” The intent is to reestablish the natural “erosion buffer zone” by restoring the beach and dune environment. The new parking lot to be reconstructed a short distance inland will improve water quality through the use of “Low Impact Development” features that will capture and filter stormwater runoff. The final design was completed with the cooperation of local and state government agencies and construction is scheduled for 2009-2010. Now almost 15 years in the making, the only remaining hurdle is finding additional funding to complete the $7M project. www.surferspoint.org



DAM REMOVAL: Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project:

As the chapter ramped up its campaign to restore the beach, it also began promoting the removal of the obsolete Matilija Dam, located 16 miles up the Ventura River. Using the slogan “Give a Dam, Free the Sand, Grow the Beach” this campaign publicized the connection between beach erosion and the 6 million cubic yards of sediment trapped behind the dam. Meanwhile, the southern steelhead trout was added to the endangered species list, and local government quickly recognized the potential benefits of restoring a free-flowing river. Ten years and several studies later, this idea has become an internationally recognized example of ecosystem restoration. Final design is underway, the first components of the project have begun, and pending funding, Matilija Dam is slated for removal in 2014. www.matilija-coalition.org




STORMWATER: Greening the Urban Watershed:

Building on the chapter’s early Blue Water Taskforce volunteer coastal water quality monitoring, this program aims to reduce urban runoff starting with a small coastal drainage in the City of Ventura. Research revealed how communities around the country are working to re-design urban watersheds that drain directly into rivers and beaches. Using computer Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, chapter members produced a map of the urban watershed and illustrated a conceptual plan for urban storm water management. This plan focuses on a small coastal watershed, and identifies potential pilot project opportunities including parks, streetscapes, storm drain retrofits, and coastal wetlands restoration. The City of Ventura took notice, and this summer passed a “green streets initiative” that will earmark 20% of all future street repaving funds to stormwater retrofit. (SF Victory #99) The chapter hopes this local funding will draw additional grants to expand upon this concept and gradually construct on-the-ground projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of an integrated stormwater management plan. In the meantime, our “Ocean Friendly Gardens” campaign is showing local residents ways that they can conserve water while doing their part to reduce urban runoff in their own homes.
http://surfrider.org/ventura/Ocean Friendly Gardens.html



WATERSHED RESTORATION: Integrated Water Management

The Ventura River is the only major watershed in the entire Southern California region that does not rely on imported water. But population growth and climate change pose an increasing threat to the long term sustainability of this resource. As the State of California seeks to solve its growing water crisis, Surfrider is working with local government in Ventura to promote integration of water resources to enhance water supply, water quality, habitat and recreation. Possible future projects include stormwater capture and reuse, water recycling, natural floodplain management, and other means to modernize the wasteful water management practices that degrade coastal ecosystems.
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com/search/label/watershed


INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS:

The Ventura Ecosystem-based Management project is a model for developing an integrated approach to solving the ocean crisis. This relatively small watershed provides an opportunity for the implementation of community-based solutions to typical problems affecting coastlines around the world. In the end, demonstration projects like this will be the testing grounds to determine if we, as a society, are able to change our ways and develop sustainable approaches to land and water use that are now urgently needed to ensure that our coastal resources are restored and preserved for future generations.

To find out more:
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com
http://surfrider.org/ventura/campaigns.html


Making Waves also included this:

Ventura Green Streets Initiative

On July 14, 2008, the Ventura City Council took a significant step toward cleaning up the urban stormwater that pollutes our beaches. Ventura’s ‘Green Street Elements and Demonstration Project’ earmarks 20% of the funding for all future repaving projects for stormwater improvements. Money was also allocated for a residential street demonstration project that will show how to reduce runoff with permeable concrete and other detention and infiltration features.

The new city policy follows recommendations made by the Ventura County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in a vision document produced earlier this year. 'Green streets' are the best way of dealing with the 'concrete jungle' that is impacting the health of our oceans. Retrofitting existing urban areas with “Low Impact Development (LID)” components is also part of Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens campaign.

Photo caption: Ventura’s ‘Green Streets’ team includes L-R Ventura City Councilman Ed Summers, Paul Jenkin (Surfrider), Councilman Bill Fulton, Chapter Chair John Wingate, and (front row) Councilman Brian Brennan, and Chapter GIS guru Cynthia Hartley


For more info see:
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com/2008/07/ventura-adopts-green-streets-policy.html
http://www.surfrider.org/ventura/Ocean%20Friendly%20Gardens.html

Rainwater harvesting planned for Ojai home

An Ojai resident, inspired by all the information from the Ojai Green Coalition Watershed Committee events, decided to landscape their property to take advantage of rainwater. (Brad Lancaster's talk was especially motivating.)

GOALS
· To harvest 100 percent of the water that falls on the land.
· To store a majority of the roof runoff in tanks for domestic use.
· To turn the soil back into a sponge to absorb and hold the moisture throughout the dry season.
· To create an oasis in the arid land of Ojai


Proposed Water Flow Description:
Water that falls on the roof will first fill up cisterns. After they reach capacity, overflow pipes will lead them to the highest point of the landscape – at which a pond will be located. Once the pond fills up, the spillway will overflow to a series of basins that will allow the water to slow down and absorb just where we want it – where we put in plants. After that it will fill up a second pond – with its inlet planted to reeds for filtering out sediment – and head to a final catch basin. If this ever overflows, then it will head to the street.

This design was created by Devin Slaven of Ojai, and the owners are documenting their progress as they make their landscape "water wise" and "ocean friendly."

The Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens website has more examples...

2050 Plan for Post Peak Oil Ventura

The Ventura County Civic Alliance has been working on a "Compact for a Sustainable Ventura County." Their website includes a document titled 'Post Peak Oil Vision Plan for Ventura,' a project spearheaded by city councilman Brian Brennan and written by a team from the Department of Landscape Architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

DOWNLOAD here

The following is a condensed review of the action plan outlined in the 275 page publication. It outlines a strategy for action, both for Policy Makers and the Community, and includes intermediate goals for 2015, 2025, and 2050.

The peak in global oil production, or Peak Oil, will necessitate a change in the way communities function. The Post-Peak Oil Vision Plan analyzes probable implications of Peak Oil on the City of San Buenaventura and the surrounding region, and describes a vision for post-Peak Oil planning that responds to these implications by building upon positive trends that are already taking place. The regional vision emphasizes preservation of natural resources, concentration of the developed footprint, and intra-regional collaboration. The 2050 vision for the City of San Buenaventura demonstrates the potential for transformation of urban environments. Under this vision, 85 percent of the population lives on less than a third of the city’s land and is within walking distance of daily needs; 50 percent of the food supply is grown within city limits; and greywater and roofwater supply over 75 percent of urban irrigation needs. The community design that results from this plan includes a significant reduction in energy demand and an increase in quality of life.

In order to achieve the overarching goal of decreased energy and resource consumption, the critical systems of a community must be localized. As the process of localization will be expressed differently in each system, the following goals facilitate localization:

• ENERGY: Decrease dependence on imported and nonrenewable energy sources

• WATER: Use local water sources sustainably and reduce external dependence


• NATURAL COMMUNITIES: Preserve and restore local habitats to provide ecosystem services for a post-Peak Oil world


• FOOD: Establish a localized food system that is supported by sustainable practices


• MOBILITY: Reduce dependence on automobiles and expand existing transit system



• SHELTER: Increase dense, mixed-use development and sustainable housing design



• ECONOMY: Expand opportunities for a localized economy


• COMMUNITY: Localize the needs of residents while enhancing the beauty and identity of San Buenaventura


LOCALIZE. Localization is the overarching critical factor in reaching the goal of reducing energy and resource consumption while enhancing quality of life. By building a greater connection between people and place, an increased respect and understanding of the land and its systems is cultivated. The following strategies are necessary in order to localize:

• Act Now. Begin research, experiments, and education programs that will facilitate the post-Peak Oil shift in society and its critical support systems.

• Adapt. Transition existing infrastructure, land use, and lifestyles in order to meet the needs of future generations.

• Collaborate. Connect governing bodies and citizen groups throughout the region in order to protect the wealth of resources, including water, agricultural land, transportation systems, and human resources in order to thrive and prosper post-Peak Oil.