Promoting

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Promoting Multi-Benefit Water Projects in
the North Bay Watershed Association Region and
the Greater Bay Area
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BENEFITS PROMOTED BY INTEGRATION
Water Supply Recreation Wastewater
Treatment Habitat Enhancement Flood
Protection Water Quality
Aesthetics
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Multi-benefit projects are not a new idea . . .
Supply, Power and Recreation
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Why integration now?

• Mismatch between NBWA policy 3 to support
  integrated activities and project inventory
• Population growth
• Environmental constraints
• Climate change
• Planning integration transportation, land use,
  water
• Funding

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NAPA RIVER FLOODING Urban Agricultural GROUNDWA
TER Depletion
ISSUES AND LIMITATIONS NORTH BAY WATERSHEDS
SONOMA VALLEY FLOODING Urban
Agricultural GROUNDWATER Depletion Salt Water
Intrusion
PETALUMA RIVER FLOODING Urban
Agricultural GROUNDWATER Depletion LACK OF
PARTICIPATION
COMMON ISSUES WATER SUPPLY HABITAT
RESTORATION Fish Passage Barriers Endangered
Species WATER QUALITY Excess Sediment PRIVATE
PROPERTY
EAST MARIN FLOODING Urban URBAN LANDSCAPE Small
lots Difficult to implement change
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MULTI-BENEFIT PROJECTS REQUIRE COORDINATION AND
COMMUNICATION among a variety of agencies and
players WATER SUPPLIERS SANITATION
DISTRICTS CITY COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS
DEPARTMENTS PARKS OPEN SPACE DISTRICTS NON-PROFI
TS, RCDs, WATERSHED GROUPS GENERAL PUBLIC
ELECTEDS
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• NAPA RIVER
• City of Napa Public Works Department, Water
  Division
• Napa Sanitation District
• Napa County Department
• of Public Works
• Napa County Flood Control
• and Water Conservation District
• Napa County Regional Park
• and Open Space District
• Napa County
• Resource Conservation District
• Friends of the Napa River
• Napa County Land Trust

• SONOMA VALLEY
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• Valley of the Moon Water District
• City of Sonoma
• Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District (SCWA)
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• City of Sonoma
• Sonoma County Transportation
• and Public Works Department
• Sonoma County Regional Parks Department
• Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open
  Space District
• Southern Sonoma County
• Resource Conservation District
• Sonoma Ecology Center
• Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers
• Sonoma Land Trust

• PETALUMA RIVER
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• City of Petaluma Water Resources
• and Conservation Department
• Violia
• Penngrove Sanitation District
• Sonoma County Transportation
• and Public Works Department
• City of Petaluma
• Sonoma County Regional Parks Department
• Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open
  Space District
• Southern Sonoma County
• Resource Conservation District
• Friends of the Petaluma River

NORTH BAY WATER PLAYERS (a partial list)

• EAST MARIN
• Marin Municipal Water District
• North Marin Water District
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• Central Marin Sanitation District
• County of Marin Department
• of Public Works
• City of San Rafael Stormwater Program
• Marin County Parks and Open Space District
• Friends of Corte Madera Creek
• Friends of Novato Creek
• Mill Valley Streamkeepers

• WATER SUPPLIERS
• SANITATION DISTRICTS
• CITY COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS
• PARKS OPEN SPACE
• NON-PROFITS,RCDS WATERSHED GROUPS

SAN PABLO BAY
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INTERVIEWEES Stormwater agencies Flood
agencies Watershed groups Water suppliers Water
treaters Open space organizations Resource
Conservation Districts Environmental Policy
nonprofits Electeds Army Corps of
Engineers Environmental consultants
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Interview Questions

• Past and upcoming multi-benefit projects? Lessons
  learned?
• Ideas for future multi-benefit projects?
• Obstacles to multi-benefit projects
  (institutional, cultural, technical, financial,
  and regulatory)?
• Whats worked, or could work to promote more
  multi-benefit projects?

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FREQUENCY OF BENEFIT PAIRINGS FOR COMPLETED AND
POTENTIAL PROJECTS
Flood Protection Habitat Enhancement Water Quality Wastewater (Treatment) Supply Recreation Aesthetics
Flood Protection 32 24 4 9 7
Habitat Enhancement 22 4 7 12 8
Water Quality 10 5 5
Wastewater Treatment 2 1 1
Supply
Recreation 3
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Triple Benefit Projects Flood Protection,
Habitat Enhancement Water Quality
19 Flood Protection, Habitat Enhancement
Recreation 6 Flood Protection, Water
Quality Water Supply 2 Flood
Protection, Habitat Enhancement Water Supply
1 Habitat Enhancement, Wastewater Treatment
Recreation 1 Projects addressing
three or more benefits 29 four or more
benefits 14 five benefits 2
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Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility Petaluma
Wastewater Treatment Water Supply
Aesthetics Recreation Habitat Enhancement
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OBSTACLES to MULTI-BENEFIT WATER PROJECTS as
identified by greatest number of interviewees
No one thinking about the big picture or taking
the lead 15 71 Lack of funding,
staff 12 57 Poor communication (within
and between agencies, and between 8 38
agencies, non-governmental organizations,
and the public) Benefits of integrated
projects unclear, difficult to quantify
7 33
14
Additional obstacles Lack of regulation or
enforcement, confusing jurisdiction,
6 29 daunting permitting
process Lack of quantitative knowledge about
basic questions 5 23 Private property
issues 5 23 Challenges with recycled
water 5 23 Lack of political will for water
regulation, mandates 4 19
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A two-pronged approach Bottom up and Top down
Project-Scale Tools Short to Long-Term Integrati
ng multiple benefits into existing or conceived
projects Regional-Scale Recommendations Medium
to Long-Term Developing regional processes and
structures to promote multi-benefit projects
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• Project-Scale Tools Short to Long-Term
• Guidelines
• Create guidelines for Making Your Project
  Multi-Benefit. Avoid mitigation. Agency managers
  and design staff write, stakeholders review.
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Add benefits, longer time frame.
• Process
• Incorporate guidelines early in the project
  process. Inter-departmental design teams.

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Making Your Project Multi-Benefit
(example) Primary Benefit Flood
Protection Potential additional benefit
Possible actions to achieve additional
benefit Habitat Enhancement Remove fish
passage barriers Restore large woody debris
(prevent road wash-outs) Restore wetlands
(give stormwater a place to go) Lay back banks
to increase capacity, re-occupy
floodplain Create new channels in tidal marsh
(elsewhere, too) Clean channels of
human-caused debris Water Quality Restore
native vegetation protect bank, (reduces
sediment) Detain or retain water on open
space, agricultural land, or in new
development (reduces sediment) Purchase flood
easement (reduces sediment) Remove concrete
channels and restore (slows water, reduces
sediment downstream) Water Supply
Purchase flood easement (increase
recharge) Use permeable paving (increase
recharge) Recreation Create walking
bike trails Create wildlife viewing
areas Remove barriers to boat
travel Aesthetics Plant native trees and wild
flowers Improve urban creek access Increase
wildlife (by increasing habitat) Create a
floodable park or a rain garden
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• Regional-Scale Recommendations Medium to
  Long-Term
• Create an entity / forum / structure whose
  mission includes quality of life, healthy
  environment, sustainable economy
• Options
• Governance structure among existing
  stakeholders
• Regular forums focused on integrated management
• New entity
• A combination
• Convene a process workgroup for six months to
  develop a work plan and timeline, and obtain
  buy-in

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Regional-Scale Recommendations Guiding
document or governance structure for
integrated, sustainable water management to
which all water players pledge consistency Forums
Geographic areas Bi-annual North Bay
forum Annual watershed forums Occasional SCWA
system forum Bay Area Facilitated by third
party Results agreement on projects and
approaches for integrating the highest
priority benefits for each geographic area
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Include all stakeholders in a transparent
process WATER SUPPLIERS SANITATION
DISTRICTS CITY COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS
DEPARTMENTS PARKS OPEN SPACE DISTRICTS NON-PROF
ITS, RCDs, WATERSHED GROUPS GENERAL PUBLIC
ELECTEDS
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• Regional-Scale Recommendations
• Arising out of forums
• Committees or workgroups to move from broad
  goals to specific projects/actions
• Technical
• Financial
• Environmental
• Public outreach
• Aesthetics

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• Regional-Scale Recommendations
• Data
• Collect, organize, analyze, and provide access
  to data
• Develop a baseline and continue to monitor
• Develop long-term funding sources
• Integrate priorities with other regional
  planning efforts transportation,
• land use, open space