Surfers' Point workdays

Saturday December 8, 2012

Over 70 volunteers plus a dozen organizers spent the morning working on the dune area at Surfers' Point.  The large crew made quick work of cleaning, seeding, and planting the 4 acre area.  The workday was coordinated by the City of Ventura in partnership with the Ventura County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and attracted Surfrider members and families from the community.  

The City of Ventura has been preparing the area for several months.  In April, sand was delivered to the project area from Pierpont Beach where the large accumulation was inundating beachfront homes.  (see Surfers Point - sand dunes)

A dune restoration plan was prepared by a consultant team to coordinate the multiple stakeholder interests and ensure ecological goals are met.  Sand that was initially delivered in longitudinal rows was re-graded with machinery over the past few weeks to form more natural 'hummock' dunes, create a buffer zone along the bike path, and provide designated 'recreation areas.'  

Because some of the imported sand contained unnatural concrete and other debris, the first crew of volunteers went to work cleaning the dunes with rakes and special mechanical 'sifters.'  It's amazing how much area a large crew can cover in an hour or two!

 As volunteers completed the debris removal, they were given tools to weed areas where non-native plants were beginning to sprout from the recent rains.  Catching these sprouts early will make a big difference later in the spring when we return to remove weeds.

While the cleanup and weeding was happening, another work group was systematically distributing native plant seeds under the direction of restoration consultant Dave Hubbard.  The seed was custom mixed for different areas of the project, mixed with some dry sand and scattered evenly within a designated area.  The area was then raked to further distribute and bury the seeds.  These seeds will be futher stabilized this week through the application of straw which will be 'crimped' into the dunes by a contractor.

Surf Brewery's Bill Riegler applies seed 

to the Surfers' Point dune restoration area.

Finally, hundreds of plants arrived from our local Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens 'plant parents' who have been caring for them since seeds were collected from the site last year (Surfers' Point workday.)    Volunteers spent another couple of hours planting these along the bike path and filling in areas in the bioswale.

picks were needed to break up the hard soil for planting in the bioswale

On Friday Patagonia volunteers will install barrier fencing and signs to help direct traffic through the dunes to allow for plants to establish and stabilize the new sand dunes.

Thanks to VolunteerVentura, the Ventura County Fairgrounds, and our sponsors!  The Surfrider Foundation purchased seed and refreshments for this restoration project with support from the Surf Brewery, Amgen, and Patagonia.  Please help support the Surf Brewery by asking for their local brews at your favorite eatery or visiting the tasting room on Market St in Ventura:  http://surfbrewery.com/




In the news: 

Volunteers to restore Surfers Point dunes this weekend in Ventura - VCStar

Unique Project To Deal With Erosion At Popular South Coast Beach At Halfway Point - KCLU

Our Ventura TV program included interviews at the workday event

Handcrafted sand dunes require community efforts to reach their full potential
Outdoor Observer -  VC Star


Related:

As the Oceans Rise Up, What Must Come Down? - KCRW

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

Santa Clara River Estuary Special Studies

On November 10, 2009, the City of Ventura hosted a workshop on the Santa Clara River Estuary Special Studies.

BACKGROUND:

The city's sewage treatment plant currently discharges 6.5 MGD (million gallons per day) of tertiary treated wastewater into the Santa Clara River Estuary, and has the capacity for 14 MGD. This is one of the last remaining estuary discharges in the state. Issues associated with this discharge include impacts of nutrient-rich water in the estuary and the artificial hydrology created by this volume of water. With this discharge, the lagoon fills up and breaches on a more frequent basis than it would under natural conditions. The estuary is habitat for a variety of threatened and endangered species, and wastewater flushing into the surf zone affects ocean water quality.

These studies are a requirement of the Regional Water Quality Control Board as a condition of the city's wastewater discharge permit. The aim is to investigate opportunities for enhancement of water quality. Information is available on the city website here.

SPECIAL SUDIES:



The 'Special Studies' include 3 parts:

• Recycled Water Study
• Constructed Wetlands Study
• Estuary Monitoring and Assessment

The wetlands and reuse studies will identify opportunities for diverting water from the discharge point for reuse or creating additional wetlands to remove pollutants.





REUSE STUDY:

The current system reclaims approximately 1 MGD which is reused on the two nearby golf courses and other urban landscaping.

The reuse study looked at potential markets for reclaimed water within a 5 mile radius. Possibilities include urban and agricultural reuse, as well as groundwater recharge.




The bottom line: cost is high to construct a system that would provide for any significant reuse, with estimates from $35M to $140M as summarized in this table.








Major piping and pumping infrastructure is needed to deliver reclaimed water, and agricultural reuse would require an expensive and energy intensive Reverse Osmosis (RO) treatment plant.










WETLAND STUDY:

The city currently operates a series of ponds that help treat the effluent before it enters the estuary. Current effluent nitrate levels are over 15 mg/l. The city is planning on spending $22M at the treatment plant to remove nitrogen to the regulated limit of 10 mg/l.


The study identifies 3 potential sites for additional constructed wetlands. The aim would be to reduce nitrogen from the effluent.





DISCUSSION:

There was discussion after the presentations.

Stakeholders were given an opportunity to place 'dots' on the chart below to express their preference for future discharge scenarios. The 'Volume' axis allows a sliding scale between all 'onsite' discharge as it currently exists, or all 'offsite' through reuse. Enhanced quality infers additional treatment wetlands. It seems the majority prefers enhanced water quality and at least half the volume discharged offsite.



According the the minutes of the meeting, I commented that:

'Would like to see more of the supply side as part of the equation/studies. There should be an integrated (regional) water management plan that could address issues across the board. (Paul Jenkins, Surfrider)'

What was not recorded was my comment that climate change and sea level rise may soon make the current location of the treatment plant infeasible - planning should consider opportunities to decentralize wastewater treatment to facilitate reuse without the need for complex pipelines and pumping systems.

Supply-side analysis should be conducted to consider on-site reuse of greywater throughout the city. For a relatively small investment, a greywater retrofit program would reduce the wastewater volume at the treatment plant, reduce the city's overall water demand, and create lots of local jobs in the process.

The next stakeholder meeting will be in February 2010.

REFERENCES:

The complete presentation and meeting notes are on the city website:
http://www.cityofventura.net/rivers

Other blog posts on this issue:
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com/2008/09/letter-on-ventura-water-reclamation.html
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com/2007/12/ventura-wastewater-treatment-plant.html
http://venturaecosystem.blogspot.com/search/label/wastewater

Ojai Groundwater Studies

A recent article in the Ojai Valley News describes a study of the Ojai groundwater basin that recently gained funding from the State Dept of Water Resources (DWR.) The $219,000 grant administered by the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency (OBGMA) will help advance the understanding of how the Ojai groundwater basin works. The study will help plan for water management, especially under the drought conditions that create conflict in the valley.

The project consultant gave an overview of the evolving understanding of the groundwater basin at the October meeting of the Ventura River Watershed Council. These graphics are courtesy of Jordan Kear.


The Ojai valley relies upon groundwater for much of its water supply. Under natural conditions, rainfall soaks into the ground filling in spaces within the soil and rock. This groundwater reserve is called an aquifer. Over 200 wells extract water for agriculture, residential, and other uses such as the two golf courses in the valley.


The modeling effort is aimed at providing a better understanding of how the basin recharges during the short rainy season, and how the many wells interact. With better understanding, it is hoped that well operators may cooperate to enhance the overall basin yield. (When wells run dry, users have to purchase water from Casitas Water District, which provides a backup supply of 254,000 acre-feet in Lake Casitas.)

Since aquifers are often connected to surface water, wells can also reduce flows in nearby rivers and streams, which downstream uses rely upon. So groundwater management is also a critical piece of overall ecosystem-based management for the watershed.

Ventura River Watershed Protection Project

Ventura River Watershed Protection Project (V1)

This is a $2.1 million project that includes several components:

• Formation of a Watershed Council, drawn from diverse local stakeholders, to address resource issues facing the watershed and to act as the decision-making body for plan development and project implementation;
• Compilation of published materials related to the watershed in order to form a single database and to identify gaps in information;
• Development of a watershed characterization baseline planning document utilizing already existing studies and initiating specific new studies as needed to give a picture of the watershed and its needs;
• Identification of problem areas within the watershed with preliminary suggestions on how to best address them;
• Development of an action plan to set priorities for implementation of project solutions for identified problems; and
• Development of mechanisms to keep the public aware of the progress and implementation of the protection plan.

One of the primary efforts is the Ventura River HSPF Modeling Project. This is a computer model under development by Tetra Tech consultants. According to reports, 'The Ventura County Watershed Protection District has contracted with Tetra Tech to develop a hydrologic model for the Ventura River watershed, using EPA’s Hydrologic Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) model. The work, funded under a Proposition 50 grant, will result in the completion of a Baseline (existing condition) hydrologic model as well as a Natural Condition scenario. These model runs can be used to support a variety of water availability and storm flow analyses. In addition, the hydrologic model will provide a platform for future modeling of water quality constituents in the Ventura River.'

More info and documents are available here

BACKGROUND: In November 2002, California voters approved Proposition 50. This legislation provides $500 million in water-related grants. In 2008, the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County was awarded a $25 million grant. More info: Prop 50 Implementation Grant

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