Agenda Item C.2
DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEM
Meeting Date: December 6, 2022
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Charles W. Ebeling, Public Works Director
CONTACT: Melissa Nelson, Environmental Services Manager
SUBJECT: Update on Creek and Watershed Management Program
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive an update on the Creek and Watershed Management Program.
BACKGROUND
The Creek and Watershed Management Plan/Program (CWMP) was adopted November 17, 2020 , having been initially identified in the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan (General Plan , adopted November 2, 2006 ) as Conservation Element Implementation Action CE -IA-3. The General Plan provides context for the protection of creeks and associated riparian habitats and watersheds. Borrowing from the General Plan, the vision that the City has for the CWMP is as follows: Goleta’s creeks and riparian areas should serve as important natural features of Goleta’s landscape. These areas should be protected to provide clean and safe water, habitat for fish and wildlife, accommodate wildlife movement corridors, convey stormwater runoff and floodwaters, provide water resources and beneficial use, and furnish open space and passive recreational areas for City residents. The City should seek to enhance, maintain, and restore these areas and associated watersheds that impact them.
An essential aspect of Goleta’s community character and livability is de rived from the diverse open space, natural resources, and open lands within and surrounding the community. These assets include: approximately two miles of Pacific shoreline, beaches, and coastal bluffs; open coastal mesas; the Goleta and Devereaux Sloughs ; active agricultural lands, including citrus groves, vegetable crops, and fallow lands; and vibrant creeks, riparian areas, ponds, wetlands, and woodlands. Therefore, the CWMP focuses on the processes and functions of the twelve creeks traversing the City and City watersheds. This plan also provides detailed standards of acceptable practices for protecting the ecological function, water quality, and water resiliency . The CWMP identifies priority areas within the City for implementation of the plan.
1 Meeting Date: December 6, 2022
To implement General Plan Conservation Element Implementation Action CE -IA-3, the CWMP was developed over a 1 2-month period and the final CWMP was adopted on November 17, 2020. Throughout the development of the CWMP, the City of Goleta and consultants solicited input from the public and stakeholder groups for feedback on the City’s creeks and watersheds. The project team developed an outreach plan early in the CWMP project to engage with the public, agencies and organizations that could support the development of the CWMP. The City held public workshops on November 6, 2019, February 26, 2020 and November 2, 2020.
The project team also established a Technical Advisory Committee ( TAC) comprised of representatives from federal, state, and local agencies and interested non -profit organizations. The TAC held three meetings over the course of the CWMP development on November 13, 2019, March 11, 2020, and September 30, 2020 . In addition to the public workshops and TAC, the project team also hosted an information table at the Lemon Festival on September 28 –29, 2019 to interact with members of the public and inform them of the CWMP project. An information table was also provided at the ribbon cutting for the new field at the Boys and Girls Club in Old Town on October 2, 2019.
As mentioned above, the City recognizes the multijurisdictional nature of local creeks and watersheds to the greater watershed area and the jurisdictions that are responsible for those areas; therefore, the CWMP acknowledges the need to collaborate with all federal, state, and local agencies an d other interested parties within the entire watersheds containing City creeks. The City has continued to coordinate internally within the City and with other jurisdictions to implement the CWMP.
DISCUSSION
The CWMP did not initially include funding or resources for implementation. Since adoption, Public Works staff have been focusing on securing additional resources, and project implementation to the extent that budget and resources allowed.
Specifically, the Public Works Department procured the following resources to begin initial phases of scoping and implementation:
Several new staff members, including an Environmental Services Specialist, have been hired to assist with CWMP-related projects.
The Solid Waste and Environmental Services Division accepted an AmeriCorps/CivicSpark Fellow last year, and another fellow may be welcomed this coming year to assist with cleanup efforts, surveying, and community outreach. The Parks and Open Space Division secured a $1.7 MM grant from CalFire to reduce the risk of wildfire at Ellwood Mesa and Devereux Creek. Solid Waste and Environmental Services staff secured two grants to help with pollution reduction and cleanup efforts, including approximately $ 30,000 from Caltrans and approximately $8,000 annually from the CalRecycle.
The funding staff has secured totals roughly $1.74MM. Staff have also been focusing on setting up tools and technology needed to collect and efficiently analyze information, evaluate program effectiveness, and engage with the community (Attachment 1). It was 2 Meeting Date: December 6, 2022
important to begin this process in the early phases of CWMP planning to guide and assist implementation and outreach. Additionally, staff have been focusing on numerous education and outreach programs for new and upcoming projects.
New and Upcoming Projects
While the vast majority of the CWMP is still unfunded, staff have worked with the initial resources available to begin implementation or scoping of many CWMP projects .
Attachment 1 describes many of the new and upcoming projects which include, among others:
Public Works s taff completed an E nvironmental Impact Report for the San Jose Creek Bike Path middle extent, which was approved October 4, 2022. This project will include habitat restoration and increase beneficial use of the creek. Identification and prioritization for removal of all high priority invasive plant species. Identification of tree planting locations, including public engagement events. Habitat restoration in other City open spaces and along riparian corridors. Completion of the Ellwood Trails project, including restoration along Dever eux Creek.
Water pollution forensics: scientific analysis of water quality over time to pinpoint sources throughout the City.
Launched a Volunteer Cleanup Program as part of Beautify Goleta to reduce trash pollution in creeks and waterways.
Launched a n ew street sweeping program that includes manual litter removal around obstructions and extra sweeps in hot spot areas. City-wide surveys of Goleta’s streets and creeks for trash pollution using multiple methods.
Full trash capture : planning for installation of full trash capture devices, or equivalent measures, to ach ieve full trash capture in all storm drains throughout the City, with conceptual design and installation of several devices in 2023. Creek surveys, with expanded surveys to tentatively begin in 2023. Scoping of an expanded pesticide and green agricultural outreach program to tentatively begin implementation in 2023.
Scoping of drainage improvement projects along City right -of-way in order to improve water quality in San Jose Creek and Evergreen Park Scoping of recycled water projects to Bella Vista and Evergreen Park Collaboration with partners to support the indirect potable water reuse project.
Next Steps
Building on the success of the previous two years, the City now needs to focus on planning the next phases for CWMP implementation, including: 1) convening and partnering with the TAC; 2) communitywide outreach; 3) scoping and financial analysis of tasks and projects in the CWMP; 4) funding analysis and pursuit ; and 5) refining CWMP priorities, schedule, and project needs in the CWMP. Several key focus areas will include expanding bilingual community outreach, prioritizing the removal of all high-priority invasive plant species, habitat restoration, water quality improvement, and water 3 Meeting Date: December 6, 2022
resources resiliency, with a focus on benefitting underserved populations within our community.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact of complete CWMP implementation is unknown at this phase, and one of the primary goals in the coming fiscal year is to better scope projects within the CWMP.
Most new and upcoming projects in this fiscal year in the Parks and Open Spaces division have received grant funding. Approximately $200,000 of the Solid Waste and Environmental Services division budget in Fiscal Year 2022/2023 will be dedicated to CWMP programs. It is anticipated that upwards of $50,000 of this will be covered by grants and other funding sources.
Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Robert Nisbet
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Creeks and Watershed Program Updates Presentation
4 ATTACHMENT 1
Creeks and Watershed Program Updates Presentation
5 Creeks and
Watershed Program
Updates
CWMP Action 1.2.2
Water Resiliency and Creek
Stewardship
December 6, 2022
6 Introduction
Recent
Accomplishments
New and Upcoming
Projects
Next Steps
Creek and Watershed Management Plan and
Programs (CWMP)
December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting 2
7 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting 3
8 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting 4
Introduction: Creek and Watershed
Management Plan (CWMP)
Creek and Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) was identified in the General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan (General Plan) as Conservation Element Implementation Action CE-IA-3.
9 -CWMP was prompted by a desire to protect our
natural resources here in Goleta
-Adopted on November 17, 2020
-CWMP describes the existing conditions of all 12
creeks that run to the City; identifies impairments
to creeks and risks to water quality
-CWMP outlines tasks, projects, and programs
and to improve water quality, habitat, and all
beneficial uses
5 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
10 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting 6
Recent Accomplishments: Setting the Stage
for Success
The majority of the CWMP is unfunded and the PW department was understaffed.
Additional resources were required to commence scoping and implementation.
Develop tools and technology for streamlined assessments, program evaluation, data collection, communication, and outreach.
Conduct outreach, education, and community involvement. 11 Priority was placed on securing additional
resources (Strategy 1.3 and Actions 1.31.
and
1.3.2)
Goleta welcomed new Environmental
Specia
list staff members and a Civic Spark
Fellow
Procured several new contractors to assist
with implementation
7 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
12 Grant Funding
(Goal 2, Strategy 2.1, Action 2.1.3)
-Cal Recycle Beverage Grant = approximately $8,000
annually to help with cleanup efforts
-Caltrans Bulky Items Collection Grant = approximately
$20,000 to help with cleanup efforts
-CalFire $1.7 million to reduce the risk of wildfire at Ellwood Mesa
-California Coastal Conservancy Grant $3.9 million for Ellwood Mesa Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management
Plan
8 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
13 Tools, Technology and Data
(Goal 3, Strategies and Actions 3.1- 3.4)
-Created custom field collection App for
geolocating MuttMitt pet waste locations
throughout the City
-App for City-wide trash assessments, site -
inspections, storm drain infrastructure and more
-Beautify Goleta dashboard using GIS
-Upcoming Creek and Watershed walking tour App
9 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
14 Education and Outreach
(Goal 5, Strategy 5.2, Action 5.2)
-Workshops and Stakeholder Meetings: improved public access for Devereux Creek as well as enhanced trails and expanded pedestrian access
-Monarch Press Monthly Green Room
-Our Water Our World (OWOW)
-Event
s:
Lemon Festival
Coastal Clean Up Day
Earth Day
Creek Week
-Tailored social media post & community events
10 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
15 11
New and Upcoming Projects: 2022-2024
Key CIPs
Creek Stewardship Projects: Habitat restoration, safety, restoring beneficial use
Water Resiliency Projects: Water quality, water recharge, water supply December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
16 Key CIPs
(Goal 6, Strategy 6.1 , Action 6.1.9)
-San Jose Creek Bike Path scope was approved
October 4, which will include habitat restoration
and increase beneficial use (Action 12.2.2, CIP
9007)
-Began initial scoping and data collection for the
Old Town Trash Capture device installation
(Action 14.3.2, CIP 9107)
-Began scoping of Ellwood Beach Dr . Drainage
project (Action 13.3.4, CIP 9105)
12 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
17 Creek Stewardship in 2022-2024
(Goals 11 and 12, Various Strategies &
Action
s)
-Identification and prioritization for removal of all
high priority invasive, non-native plant species
-Identify locations for community led creek
stewardship projects and organization of an event
-Habitat restoration in other City open spaces and
along riparian corridors
-Completion of Ellwood Mesa projects, including
restoration along Devereux Creek
13 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
18 Creek Stewardship in 2022-2024
(Goals 11 and 12, Various Strategies &
Action
s)
-Identify locations for interpretive signs along
trails, and bike paths
-Replace outdated creek identification signage as
appropriate to ensure a consistent style for City
creek signage that eliminates inconsistent
information
14 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
19 Water Resiliency: Pollutant Forensics
(Goals 13 and 14, Action 3.3.3 among others)
-Water Quality Forensics : Technical evaluation of
pollutant sources
-Evaluation of statistical trends over time
-Correlation with land uses, geography
-Climate Change impacts
-Trash and bacteria are our most consistent issues, but pesticides and other pollutants are also a concern. Some originate from upstream of the City.
15 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
20 16
Water Resiliency: Volunteer Cleanup Program
(Actions 7.4.3, 7.8.2, 14.1.1, 14.3.2)
-Launched the Volunteer Cleanup Program as part
of Beautify Goleta to reduce trash pollution in our
creeks and waterways
-11 successful Beautify Goleta Events in 2022 and
more Beautify Goleta events in 2023
-145,366 lbs of waste removed, with roughly
100,000 lbs of that recycled
December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
21 New Street Sweeping Programs to Prevent
Water Pollution
(Goal 14, Strategy 14.1, Action 14.1.1, 14.3.2)
-Manual cleaning around obstructions, and
additional sweeping in hot spot areas
-Increased mailing and social media for
parking/obstruction awareness
-Grade trash levels every sweep to assess program
effectiveness
17 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
22 Water Resiliency: Full Trash Capture
(Goal 14, Strategy 14.1, Action 14.1.1)
-Full Trash Capture by use of full trash capture
devices or alternative measures
-Focus on Hot Spots
-Design/Build Maintain structural trash capture
systems
-Conceptual Design and begin device installation in
2023
18 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
23 Water Resiliency Projects: Upcoming
-Expand Pesticide and Green Agriculture Program (Action
5.1.5)
-Support indirect potable reuse project with Project Partners (Actions 8.6.2, 5.1.5)
-Recycle water to Bella Vista and/or Evergreen Park (Actions
5.1.5)
-Infiltration projects – San Jose Creek Park and Evergreen Park (Goal 14, Strategy 14.1, Actions 14.5.1, 15.2.1, )
-Creek Baseflow evaluation (Actions 15.1.1, 15.2.1)
-Maxi
mize infiltration and encourage water reuse for new
development (Actions 5.5.1, 15.1.1, 15.2.1
19 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
24 20
Next Steps: 2022-2024
December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
25 2022-2024 are focused on the following
categories of Implementation:
-Convening and Partnering with the Technical
Advisory Committee (Goal 4, Strategy 5.2, Action
5.2.2 )
-Communitywide outreach, engagement and
partic
ipation (Goal 7, Various Strategies and
Actio
ns)
-Scoping and financial analysis of tasks and projects
in
the CWMP
-Funding analysis and pursuit
-Refining priorities within the Plan
21 December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
26 Thank You
Questions?
December 6, 2022, City Council Meeting
27