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Home My WebLink About2001-11-13 City Council (5)TO: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: CITY MANAGER NOVEMBER 13, 2001 WATERSHED MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE CLARA BASIN DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS CMR:418:01 FOR THE SANTA This is an informational report and no Council action is required. BACKGROUND The Watershed Management Initiative (WMI) is a collaboration of stakeholders designed to protect natural resources and water quality in the Santa Clara Basin. As a major participant in the WMI, Palo Alto is able to leverage resources and facilitate regional agreement about watershed goals and messages. This update describes and forwards a new WMI brochure that will soon be distributed throughout the county. DISCUSSION In 2001, a WMI committee created a common vision for the future of the Santa Clara Basin. The result is the inspiring artwork inside the attached brochure, "A Vision for Our Watershed." The WMI participants believe that having a common vision for area watersheds will facilitate future collaborations as agencies and civic leaders work towards a more sustainable community. The attached WMI brochure: ¯Describes the background and goals of the WMI ¯Explains that a watershed is a land area from which water drains and that we all live, work, and play within a watershed ¯Presents a positive and sustainable vision for the future of our watershed ¯Suggests opportunities to help our community reach that vision ATTACHMENT Attachment A: "A Vision for Our Watershed" brochure CMR:418:01 Page 1 of 2 PREPARED BY: DEPARTMENT HEAD: S’TEP’-HANI]~ H~G~ES Source Control lv’Ig’nager L . Director of Public Works CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: EMILY HARRISON Assistant City Manager CMR:418:01 Page 2 of 2 Te purpose of the WMI is to develop and implement a comprehensive watershed management program, one that recognizes that achieving a healthy watershed wilt require addressing water quality problems and quality of life issues for the people, animals, and plants that :~ live in the watershed. STAKEHOLDER LIST PUBLIC AGENCIES California Department of Fish & Game City of Cupertino City of Palo Alto City of San los6 City of Santa Clara City of Sunnyvale Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board Santa Clara County Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program Santa Clara Valley Water District US Army Corps of Engineers US Environmental Protection Agency USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service BUSINESS/TRADE ASSOCIATIONS California Restaurant Association/Dairy Belle Freeze Home Builders Association of Northern California San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Santa Clara Cattleman’s Association Santa Clara County Farm Bureau Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group ENVIRONMENTAL AND CIVIC GROUPS Acterra CLEAN South Bay League of Women Voters Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Group San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory San Francisquito Creek CRMP San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority Santa Clara County Streams for Tomorrow Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Silicon Valley Pollution Prevention Center Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Western Waters Canoe Club SANTA CLARA BASIN WMI WATERSHED MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE 4245 ZANKER ROAD SAN JOSE, CA 95~_34 For more information on how to get involved in making the vision a reality or for information about the Watershed Management Initiative, call the Watershed Management Initiative (WMI) Project Coordinator, c/o City of San Jose, at (408) 945-3ooo. Visit our website at: www.scbwmi.or~" This publication can be made available upon request in alternative formats such as Braille, large print, audio-tape or computer disk. Requests can be made by calling (408) 945-3000 (Voice) or (8o0) 735-2929 (CRS). ~ Printed on recycled-content paper with soy-based inks. O80t!Q2.sK:2682 R E SANTA CLARA BASIN WMI WATERSHED MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE WHAT’S A WATERSHED? A watershed is a [and area from which water drains into a major body of water such as a stream, lake, wetland, bay or estuary, or percolates into groundwa- ter. Watersheds come in differ- ent shapes and sizes. Local watersheds are parts of larger, regional basins. Our Santa Clara Basin, for example, is a sub-basin of the larger San Francisco Bay Basin. A watershed begins at the top of a hill or mountain ridge and is ultimately defined by gravity. The Santa Clara Basin is bounded by the Diablo Mountains to the east and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south and west. Raindrops falling east of the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge[ine or west of the Diablo Range hills flow into our watershed. South San Francisco Bay receives the runoff water of our watersheds. For most of us, a watershed is more than just a drainage area. It’s the place where we live, work, play, and find inspiration for our daily lives. Watersheds also provide critical habitats for the native wildlife and plants in our environment. It’s important for us to understand how our everyday activities impact our watershed so that we can protect our Santa Clara Basin. WHAT’S THE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE? Background: The Watershed Management Initiative is a col- laborative process designed to protect natural resources and water quality in the Santa Clara Basin. In 1996, federal state, and local water quality regulators formed the Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (WMI). WMI members, or stakeholders, include repre- sentatives from public agencies; business and trade associations; and environmental and civic groups. These stakeholders collabo- rate to find ways to improve Basin conditions, coordinate existing regulatory activities basinwide, and ensure that environmental protection activities are efficient and cost-effective. Work in Progress: WMI produced the first Watershed Characteristics Report of the Santa Clara Basin in May 2000. Scien- tists are now assessing three water- sheds in the Santa Clara Basin. To- gether, the San Francisquito Creek, Guada[upe River, and Upper Penitencia Creek watersheds reflect the uses and conditions of the entire Basin. Next, WMI will identify the sources of pollu- tion and human activities that threaten the watershed. These analyses will help establish the priorities for a comprehensive watershed management program dedicated to: SAN FRANCISQUITO WATERSHED finding sustainable solutions to support human and wildlife needs, ¯preventing further degradation of natural resources, and ¯promoting watershed recovery. GOALS that the WMI is a broad, consensus-based that incorporates good science and will be con! improved. SANTA CLARA BASIN BAYLANDS -- UPPER PENITENCIA WATERSHED