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San Francisco Bay Delta

Napa River Sediment TMDL Implementation and Habitat Enhancement Project

Five discrete projects addressing sediment sources identified in the Napa River Sediment TMDL:

  • Rutherford Reach Restoration: construction of a widened riparian corridor and removal of vineyards to enlarge the floodplain along 0.9 miles of a 4.5-mile reach of the Napa River.
  • Oakville – Oak Knoll Restoration: restoration design of a 3.9 mile reach of the Napa River, including landowner agreements and Arundo removal to prepare the site for restoration.
  • Ranch Water Quality Plans: outreach and education to ranchers to incorporate BMPs into ranch plans with a target of implementation on 80% of Napa watershed grazing lands.
  • Rural Roads Assessment: county survey and assessment of rural roads and associated stream crossings to produce a prioritized list of projects necessary to meet the TMDL goal of 50% sediment delivery reduction. In addition the County Roads Maintenance Manual will be updated with improved BMPs to guide these future road improvement projects.
  • TMDL Tracking and Accounting System: establish a system to track progress toward achieving the Sediment TMDL and identify necessary tools to better prioritize implementation.

Project Facts

Recipient: Napa County
Funding: $1,500,000 (non-federal match = $1,765,000), FFY: 2011
Project Period: June 2011 – December 2015
Partners: California Land Stewardship Institute, Napa Resource Conservation District, UC Cooperative Extension

Environmental Results Summary: Napa River Sediment TMDL Implementation and Habitat Enhancement Project

OUTPUTS (Activities, efforts, and/or work product during project period)

OUTCOMES (Environmental results)

SHORT-TERM
(1-5 yrs)

LONG-TERM
(5-20+yrs)

Repair approximately 1800 feet of eroding banks in Phase 3 of the Rutherford Reach project area

Develop an online mapping tool to display, on a subwatershed area basis, an interactive map to track and report on TMDL implementation progress

Work with livestock producers in the Napa River watershed to develop regional water quality control plans that assess pollutant sources and defined management practices to control sediment and pathogens coming from grazed properties

Assess and prioritize unimproved public roads and stream crossings in the Napa River watershed

Remove 5 acres of invasive Arundo and revegetate with native plants

Develop construction designs for 59 acres of habitat and water quality improvement along 3.9 miles of the main stem of the Napa River

Reduce rates of sediment delivery (associated with incision and accelerated bank erosion) to channels by 50 percent by 2017

Ranchers control sediment and pathogens on 80% of grazing lands in the Napa River watershed (approximately 16,000 acres)

One priority stream crossing repaired preventing an estimated 760 tons of sediment from entering Napa River and eliminating a documented fish passage barrier

Reduce human sources of sediment to the Napa River by 51% by 2029 (Goal: 185,000 metric tons /year)

Full List of Project Summaries