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| Winding through the Santa Cruz Mountains. | |
Click to view the Rural Roads Application for 2008.
Introduction
In Santa Cruz County, rural roads have been identified as a major source of sediment by watershed plans, assessments, and sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) reports. The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County (RCD) has been addressing erosion and sediment issues related to roads since 1996. This program provides technical and cost share assistance to private road associations to facilitate the construction of erosion control projects as a means of managing excessive sediment loads generated by these roads in critical TMDL -listed watersheds. The result of the program has been the construction of multiple rural road erosion control projects, educational programs and technical trainings, public tours of projects, and annual newsletters. The rural roads program continues to expand to deliver erosion control projects with direct water quality benefits and now includes four major watersheds in Santa Cruz County.
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| Erosion from rural roads in Santa Cruz County contributes significant quantities of sediment to impaired TMDL listed watersheds. | |
Currently, the Rural Roads Program is implementing projects on private rural roads and some state park roads, in the San Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek and Aptos/Valencia Creek, and the lower Pajaro Watersheds of Santa Cruz County on the Central Coast of California. Due to highly erosive soils, substantial rainfall, geologically active (with several fault zones and regional uplift) and steep terrain, the watersheds are susceptible to high rates of erosion. Inadequately constructed and maintained roads within this environment continue to add sediment to the waterways within the watersheds. Sediments contribute direct and indirect impacts to coho and steelhead salmonid populations which are found in the watersheds as well as coastal marine ecosystems that are part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Roads, as a source of sediment input into local waterways, have been researched and well documented over the years in sediment TMDL studies and reports and watershed assessments for all of the mentioned watersheds.
Erosion control work began in 1996 with a State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) grant to construct three erosion control projects in the San Lorenzo River Watershed. Following this work, a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) Technical Report and Implementation Plan for the San Lorenzo watershed was completed along with assessments for the Soquel Creek and Aptos and Valencia Creek watersheds. These reports indicated that all were impaired and that rural roads were a significant source of sediment pollution for all of the waterways. In order to address road-related sediment concerns in a more comprehensive manner, the RCD applied for and received two additional grants from the SWRCB. These grants allowed the RCD to expand the Rural Roads Program from the San Lorenzo River Watershed to include the Soquel Creek and the Aptos and Valencia Creek Watersheds. Over the course of ten years the Rural Roads Program has resulted in seventeen rural road erosion control projects. Fifteen of these projects were implemented in the Boulder Creek and Felton areas of the San Lorenzo River Watershed, one project was completed in the Soquel Creek Watershed and one in the Aptos and Valencia Creek Watershed.
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| Workers install a properly sized culvert to capture water emanating from steep slopes above this rural road and direct it to a location protected from erosion. | |
In 2006 the RCD received a fourth grant to continue its program through 2008. To date, the dollars expended have been matched by grants from the State Coastal Conservancy, the Fish America Foundation, the California Department of Fish and Game and in-kind and cash match from private road associations.
Rural road erosion control projects begin with a site visit by an RCD Project Manager and a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representative to document erosion control concerns. The identified concerns are then reviewed and prioritized by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Following this review, a hired consultant completes a formal assessment and detailed designs for projects that have high resource protection value and whose landowners are interested in implementing conservation practices. The RCD then works with road associations and local contractors to facilitate the implementation of these project designs. The projects range in size and extent, but include a range of erosion control Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as velocity dissipaters, water bars, properly-sized and installed culverts, and out-sloping to direct water off the road.
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| Workers install a properly sized culvert to capture water emanating from steep slopes above this rural road and direct it to a location protected from erosion. | |
In addition to the implementation of erosion control projects, the program seeks to provide technical assistance to rural landowners and road associations through education and outreach efforts. Results to date include the development of a BMP Training Program for local contractors, six road workshops, five watershed tours, and four technical training sessions for watershed groups, and education and outreach materials including six individual newsletters. The program also has resulted in the creation of a Private Roads Maintenance Guide for Santa Cruz County that provides user-friendly technical information on a broad range of erosion control techniques and is widely distributed at no charge to private road associations and other interested parties.
The success of individual projects was documented using photo monitoring techniques to collect pre- and post-construction conditions for all erosion control projects. In order to expand its ability to measure sediment load reductions quantitatively, the RCD worked with the local non-profit Coastal Watershed Council (CWC) and consulting firm Balance Hydrologics, Inc. to develop a monitoring protocol to estimate total sediment load reductions for each project and the program as a whole. This monitoring protocol is now being field tested and refined using the erosion control projects implemented in 2006.
The need for additional erosion control on public and private roads in Santa Cruz County noted in numerous TMDL reports and watershed assessments continues to grow and the RCD is expanding its efforts to meet these needs. The grant from the SWRCB received in December of 2006 allows the RCD to continue to provide technical assistance, to conduct new road assessments, and to design and construct an additional 9-12 rural road erosion control projects. This grant will also help implement the Pajaro River sediment TMDL by expanding the program into the Lower Pajaro River Watershed. It will also help develop projects in partnership with State Parks who recently, in cooperation with the California Geological Survey, completed assessments for the entire state park road network in Santa Cruz County. An exciting component of the new grant is the addition of a Home Drainage Program that will allow the RCD to work with residential home owners to improve drainage on their properties.
The Rural Roads Program relies on a diverse partnership with rural road associations, agencies, non-profit organizations, local governments, and private consultants to implement its construction, education and outreach, and monitoring work. The primary funding agencies include the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Coastal Conservatory. Project partners include the Natural Resources Conservation Service (technical assistance), Pacific Watershed Associates (road assessments and design), Coastal Watershed Council (monitoring), Swanson Hydrology and Geomorphology, Balance Hydrologics, Inc. (monitoring protocols), the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County Natural Resources and Employment Program (local labor), and private road associations (in-kind and financial match). Other important partners include the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Watershed Caretakers, California State Parks, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, San Lorenzo Valley High School Watershed Academy, the Valley Woman’s Club, Granite Construction Company, and the Zayante Fire Department.
Public and private landowners are eligible for technical and financial assistance in the form of free site visits and help in securing funds for rural roads projects. Additionally, the RCD offers free publications at our local partnership office library in Capitola. Copies can be made at no charge. A Private Road Maintenance Guide is also available at our office or in the publications section of our web site.
The Rural Roads Program offers informational workshops, technical trainings on road repair, maintenance and construction, and offers tours to project sites. Workshops depend on availability of funds.
Assistance with securing cost-share funding for road projects is available. Interested parties should contact Ezra Neale at the RCD for more information.