In 2005, the Statewide CCA Committee selected one Pilot CCA in each of four regions of the coast (North Coast, Bay Area Coast, Central Coast, and South Coast) and one within San Francisco Bay. Criteria used to select the Pilot CCAs included current water quality conditions, resource value and sensitivity, new or expanding threats to beneficial uses of the watershed, and practicality concerns such as degree of local support and likelihood of success.
In each Pilot CCA, the CCA Committee formed a team of local stakeholders (watershed groups, special interest organizations, and community members) and government agencies (state, federal, and local) to develop a community-based non-point source (NPS) Watershed Assessment and Action Plan for addressing polluted runoff that threatens coastal resources within these CCAs.
The NPS Watershed Assessment and Action Plans were intended to integrate and build on existing local watershed protection and restoration efforts, identify needs and available resources, focus the attention of responsible agencies, and coordinated with other relevant water quality protection programs.
A technical team obtained grant funding to provide technical assistance to three Pilot CCAs:
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) received a $900,000 grant through EPA’s Nonpoint Source Management Program (319(h)) in 2005, to provide technical support and guidance to local stakeholders for development of watershed assessments and other tools for three of the Pilot CCAs:
Under this grant, SFEI performed a preliminary assessment and analysis of the implementation of NPS management measures, and how they are contributing to the improvement of water quality and beneficial use protection in these three pilot CCAs. This preliminary assessment and analysis provided the necessary first step to help the project team and stakeholders to develop an Action Plan for each CCA in the next phase of this project (funded under a Proposition 50 grant).
In the second phase of this project, funded under a Prop 50 Consolidated grant in 2007, SFEI formed a “technical team” partnership with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the California Coastal Commission, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
Phase II of the project included evaluating the watersheds of these three Pilot CCAs, and providing technical assistance to local governments, non-governmental organizations, and others involved in controlling land-based sources of pollution entering these watersheds. The technical team assisted with the development of web-based GIS tools and training, watershed management assessment, environmental and land use planning, and government relations.
The goals of this project included:
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Potential sources of pollutants of concern in this CCA include logging roads, septic systems, stormwater discharges, and boating activities (e.g., fish waste, boat cleaning, and moorings). This CCA is also designated as a state Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS).
In 2006, the City of Trinidad and partners received a Prop 50 Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Grant for $500,000 to:
The City of Trinidad’s partners in this project were Streamline Planning Consultants (Trinidad's city planners), Winzler & Kelly Consulting Engineers (Trinidad’s city engineers), Redwood Community Action Agency (a natural resources nonprofit organization), and Westhaven Community Services District. Several other local stakeholder groups were participants in the project, including Green Diamond Resource Company (the major landowner), the Trinidad Rancheria, the Yurok Tribe, Humboldt State University, the Humboldt Bay Stewards (a community resources group), and Humboldt County.
State agency participants in the Pilot CCA included the Coastal Commission, Coastal Conservancy, Dept. of Fish & Game, State Parks, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, State Water Resources Control Board NPS Program, and State Water Resources Control Board Ocean Unit. State agency partners provided technical assistance for the project, and helped guide development of the CCA’s NPS Watershed Assessment and Action Plan.
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James V. Fitzgerald CCA (factsheet)
The Fitzgerald Pilot CCA was one of three CCAs included in the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s Technical Assistance project for three Pilot CCAs in 2005. The Pilot Subcommittee for this CCA was comprised of staff from the California Coastal Commission, Regional and State Water Boards, San Mateo County (SMC), SMC Parks and Recreation, San Mateo County RCD, MidCoast Community Council, Montara Water and Sanitary District, and an Ad Hoc MidCoast Community Representative.
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The Sonoma Creek Pilot CCA was one of three CCAs included in the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s Technical Assistance project for three Pilot CCAs in 2005. Local agencies involved in this Pilot CCA included the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Southern Sonoma Resource Conservation District, and the Sonoma Creek Conservancy, in addition to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the California Coastal Commission, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, and the Association of Bay Area Governments.
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Watsonville Slough CCA (factsheet)
The Watsonville Slough Pilot CCA was one of three CCAs included in the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s (SFEI’s) Technical Assistance project for three Pilot CCAs in 2005. SFEI and the Coastal Commission collaborated on a Nonpoint Source 319(h) grant in 2005 to develop a template process for a watershed assessment of Watsonville Slough, and then renewed their efforts to provide additional assistance under a Prop 50 Consolidated grant in 2007. Project partners worked together to identify gaps and determine needs for additional water quality improvements in the watershed.
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Combination of Newport Beach (Robert E. Badham) CCA (factsheet), Irvine Coast CCA (factsheet), Heisler Park CCA (factsheet), and Upper Newport Bay CCA (factsheet)
The Orange County Pilot CCA Project includes four CCAs, three of which are Areas of Special Biological Significance (Newport Beach ASBS, Irvine Coast ASBS, and Heisler Park ASBS). The cities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach received a Prop 50 Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Planning (IRWMP) grant for $400,000, which funded an assessment of watershed impacts in these CCAs, addressing water quality concerns such as pollutant loading, source identification, and pollutant impacts. The project also included an intertidal ecosystem restoration component. This work resulted in a plan of recommended actions to protect the ASBSs/CCAs.
Agencies and organizations participating in the Orange County Pilot CCA Project included the City of Newport Beach, City of Laguna Beach, Orange County, California Coastal Commission, Regional Water Boards, California Department of Parks, Orange County Coastkeepers, and the State Coastal Conservancy.
In 2007, the County of Orange led development of Phase I of the Central Orange County Integrated Regional and Coastal Watershed Management Plan (IRCWMP) to meet Prop 50 guidelines. The City of Newport Beach was later awarded a planning grant to prepare Phase II of the Central Orange County IRCWMP in 2009.
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