Watershed Enhancement Plan

The Sonoma Creek Watershed Enhancement Plan 1997

Following a two-year planning effort, the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District (SSCRCD) completed the Sonoma Creek Watershed Enhancement Plan in June 1997. The goals of the Plan were developed by a broad-based group of local community organizations, residents, and agriculturists. Their goal was to develop a Plan that provides recommendations for management of the Valley’s natural resources agreeable to all citizens of the watershed and serve as a planning tool for years to come.

The goals include:

  • Maintain long-term local control of watershed planning and enhancement
  • Conserve and improve the natural resources of the watershed, including native wildlife species and plant communities, productive soils, and health stream habitat
  • Encourage responsible land management practices that support a healthy watershed.  Manage streams to maximize wildlife habitat while maintaining effective flood control
  • Educate the community about the natural features of the watershed, its people, and economy.

The original Plan has been widely used and serves as a framework for overall watershed management and as a foundation for requesting federal and state grant funds for implementation. You can access it at the following link in the Sonoma Valley Knowledge Base: Sonoma Valley Watershed Enhancement Plan 1997.

Sonoma Creek Watershed Enhancement Plan – Update and Revision (In Progress)

An update and revision of the 1997 Plan is being cooperatively led by the SSCRCD and the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC).  Funding is made possible from the Sonoma County Water Agency, State of California, and associated project partners. The Plan update is an effort to revisit the original enhancement plan with stakeholders and technical advisors, and establish a long-term, iterative, and fully integrated process for evaluating and managing watershed resources. Based on historical conservation and restoration efforts in the watershed, technical and community input, and emerging needs for local, regional, and super-regional integration, the scope of the Plan will go far beyond the standard U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended focus on pollutant load reductions.

The Plan update is being developed during a dynamic and groundbreaking time for resource management efforts in Sonoma Valley and throughout California. Pressures of increasing population, strains on local resources, economic challenges, climate change impacts, and the proliferation and diversification of management efforts have led to a new set of challenges for resource planning. Since completion of the 1997 edition, the SEC and partners have prepared the Sonoma Creek Watershed Sediment Source Analysis and Limiting Factors Analysis, and the Sonoma Valley Watershed Conservancy has been using Geographic Information Systems to map and track watershed information.  The updated Plan will reference these new developments.

The following tasks on the Plan update have been accomplished:

  • Conducted community planning kick-off meeting with establishment of sub-committee – November 2007
  • Prepared Plan document outline and identified studies and maps as reference documents
  • Conducted community planning meeting to identify key issues and plan goals – January 2008
  • Conducted community planning meeting to finalize issues and goals, with discussion of state water quality regulations and TMDL regulatory process with staff from San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board – March 2008
  • Continued efforts to seek funding for planning process and share the progress with stakeholder groups in the Sonoma Valley and greater region – ongoing.

The Watershed Enhancement Plan management team invites all interested stakeholders and residents in the watershed to participate in the planning process to restore and protect our precious resources. Numerous opportunities to participate in conceptual planning and "on-the-ground” watershed stewardship exist. For complete details, click the Watershed Health tab.

Get Involved TipAll interested landowners, managers, and residents are encouraged to contact Leandra Swent at the SSCRCD (707-794-1242 x5) or Julie Jehly at the SEC  (707-996-0712 x115).