sure survival of aquatic species. species. aquatic of survival sure
contact the City of Santa Cruz at (831) 420-5132. 420-5132. (831) at Cruz Santa of City the contact
restoration of watershed health as the preferred means to as- to means preferred the as health watershed of restoration
Plan, or the Lower San Lorenzo River & Lagoon Management Plan Plan Management Lagoon & River Lorenzo San Lower the or Plan,
Endangered Species Act listings promote preservation and and preservation promote listings Act Species Endangered
For more information on the lagoon, the San Lorenzo Urban River River Urban Lorenzo San the lagoon, the on information more For
are also listed as endangered under the California ESA. ESA. California the under endangered as listed also are
steelhead in the San Lorenzo River lagoon. lagoon. River Lorenzo San the in steelhead under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Coho salmon salmon Coho (ESA). Act Species Endangered Federal the under
this, the potential still exists for a healthy population of juvenile juvenile of population healthy a for exists still potential the this, Steelhead trout and coho salmon are now listed as threatened threatened as listed now are salmon coho and trout Steelhead
lagoon, under natural conditions, are difficult to predict. Despite Despite predict. to difficult are conditions, natural under lagoon,
watershed of the San Lorenzo, estimates of juveniles utilizing the the utilizing juveniles of estimates Lorenzo, San the of watershed coho salmon salmon coho
San Lorenzo River. Due to impacts that are occurring in the upper upper the in occurring are that impacts to Due River. Lorenzo San
with Pescadero, San Gregorio and Scott Creek lagoons north of the the of north lagoons Creek Scott and Gregorio San Pescadero, with
juvenile steelhead under natural conditions based on comparisons comparisons on based conditions natural under steelhead juvenile
It has been suggested that the lagoon could support numerous numerous support could lagoon the that suggested been has It
escape from predators during this transition. transition. this during predators from escape
allow fish to grow quickly, and maintained refuge habitat provides provides habitat refuge maintained and quickly, grow to fish allow
steelhead trout trout steelhead
transition from freshwater to saltwater. Adequate food resources resources food Adequate saltwater. to freshwater from transition
steelhead as it provides an area where steelhead can make the the make can steelhead where area an provides it as steelhead
A deep, properly functioning, freshwater lagoon is important to to important is lagoon freshwater functioning, properly deep, A
management. management.
natural resource resource natural
public safety and and safety public
following issues with with issues following
erosion, sedimentation and water use). use). water and sedimentation erosion,
have since ceased ceased since have
attributed to adverse effects of human activities (including (including activities human of effects adverse to attributed
Lorenzo. The activities activities The Lorenzo.
abundance began to decline in the 1960s. The decline has been been has decline The 1960s. the in decline to began abundance
the mouth of the San San the of mouth the
day of fishing season. Steelhead trout and coho salmon salmon coho and trout Steelhead season. fishing of day
sandbar management at at management sandbar
line up three deep along the banks of the lagoon on the opening opening the on lagoon the of banks the along deep three up line
mittingly conducted conducted mittingly
Russian River. As recently as the mid–1970s fishermen used to to used fishermen mid–1970s the as recently As River. Russian
of Santa Cruz inter- Cruz Santa of
as one of the largest steelhead-producing rivers south of the the of south rivers steelhead-producing largest the of one as
Prior to 1995, the City City the 1995, to Prior
in the watershed, and the San Lorenzo River was once described described once was River Lorenzo San the and watershed, the in
suggest that steelhead trout and coho salmon were once plentiful plentiful once were salmon coho and trout steelhead that suggest conditions allow. allow. conditions
present at this time. Anecdotes and estimates of fishing success success fishing of estimates and Anecdotes time. this at present convert to freshwater over time through inflow from the river, if if river, the from inflow through time over freshwater to convert
present in the watershed but coho salmon are thought not to be be to not thought are salmon coho but watershed the in present mouth of the river and forms a seasonal summer lagoon, which can can which lagoon, summer seasonal a forms and river the of mouth
steelhead trout and also coho salmon. Steelhead trout are now now are trout Steelhead salmon. coho also and trout steelhead wave action in the late spring and summer. The sandbar closes the the closes sandbar The summer. and spring late the in action wave
The San Lorenzo River watershed is habitat for the threatened threatened the for habitat is watershed River Lorenzo San The The sandbar across the mouth of the river forms naturally through through naturally forms river the of mouth the across sandbar The
San Lorenzo River Watershed River Lorenzo San
Lagoon River Lorenzo San The
Salmonids in the the in Salmonids
Informational Resources Map of Lower San Lorenzo Santa Cruz County RCD The Lower River and Lagoon (831) 464-2950 www.sccrcd.org San Lorenzo City of Santa Cruz City Manager’s Office (831) 420-5132 River and www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us
City of Santa Cruz Public Works Dept. Lagoon (831) 420-5559 [email protected]
City of Santa Cruz Water Resources Program (831) 420-5483 www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us
County of Santa Cruz Environmental Health (831) 454-2022 www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us
California State Coastal Conservancy www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov
US Army Corps of Engineers www.usace.army.mil
CA Dept of Fish and Game (831) 649-2870 www.dfg.ca.gov Helping people protect, National Marine Fisheries Service conserve, and restore www.nmfs.noaa.gov natural resources
This brochure has been produced by the Santa Cruz A collaboration of the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District with California County Resource Conservation Coastal Salmon Recovery Program funds administered District and the City of Santa Cruz. by the California Department of Fish and Game. The San Lorenzo Flood Control Confines Urban River Plan
• The San Lorenzo Urban River Plan articulates a community vision While restoring aquatic habitat is one of the City of Santa Cruz’s for the corridor encompassing the lower San Lorenzo River, goals for the San Lorenzo River, the reality that Santa Cruz is Branciforte Creek, and Jessie Street Marsh as both a wildlife largely built upon the San Lorenzo River’s floodplain must be area, and a community recreation and public open space amenity. considered.
• In 1999, the Santa Cruz City Council requested that the plans As Santa Cruz has become more and more developed over the for the San Lorenzo River be updated due to: years, the San Lorenzo River floodplain has been encroached upon and flooding has occurred on several occasions. Eighteen flood - the initiation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control events occurred from 1862-1958. Some of these floods were improvement project beginning in 1999; and minor events but others were quite severe and caused extensive - the listing of the steelhead trout and Coho salmon as federally damage.
threatened species, and the federal designation of the San Following the December 22, 1955 flood, the costliest, deadliest, Lorenzo River as critical habitat for these species. and most well-known flood, the lower 2.5 miles of San Lorenzo The City Council appointed a citizen task force, the San Lorenzo River and Branciforte Creek was channelized into a flood control Urban River Task Force, to complete the plan update emphasizing structure in 1957-1959 in a cooperative project of the City of community involvement as the foundation for plan development. Santa Cruz and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).
The City Council requested that the San Lorenzo Urban River Plan The San Lorenzo Task Force update restoration and design plans for the River as F l o o d C o n t r o l well as address Branciforte Creek in the planning update process. I m p r o v e m e n t The Goals and Benefits of the Plan are to: Project is designed • enhance and restore biotic values of the River, Creek and to provide 100-year Marsh as habitat for fish and wildlife; Federal Emergency Management Agency • maintain flood control capacity of the San Lorenzo River and (FEMA) equivalent Branciforte Creek; flood protection for • improve the scenic and recreational value of the Riverfront; the downtown areas of the City of Santa • improve the urban and neighborhood interface with the San Cruz designated as Lorenzo River, Branciforte Creek, and Jessie Street Marsh; floodway or floodplain. Any restoration plans proposed for the • improve public access and pedestrian/bicycle movement to and lower reach of the river must be compatible with the authorized along the River; and to project purpose of flood control. Proposed restoration work cannot • incorporate the San Lorenzo River, Branciforte Creek, and adversely affect the flow conveyance capacity of the flood Jessie Street Marsh into the surrounding urban fabric of protection level. Any restoration or management work must also be downtown Santa Cruz and neighborhoods. compatible with maintenance operations and inspections during flood events.
The New Riverway Park Next Steps
Recreational access along the San Lorenzo River provides Water Quality Improvement opportunities for public interaction with the river corridor for Recent studies have identified excess bacteria levels in the lagoon. enjoyment, education, and continued stewardship. A multitude of The bacteria is coming mainly from stormdrains and birds. recreational opportunities exist along the 5 linear miles of The City of Santa Cruz has received funding from the State Clean Riverway parkland: hiking, picnicking, bicycling, jogging, skating, Beach Initiative Program to reduce storm drain inputs to the San bird-watching and wildlife viewing. Lorenzo River. Park Rules Learning More About • Park hours: Sunrise to Sunset the San Lorenzo River Lagoon • Bicycles and pedestrians on recreational paths In efforts to learn more about the San Lorenzo River Lagoon and • Limited access to habitat areas of the river to protect the habitat it offers to migrating fish, the City will participate in wildlife the Comparative Lagoon Ecological Assessment Project (CLEAP) as • No littering part of the Integrated Watershed Restoration Program for Santa Cruz County. What is to come ? The CLEAP will examine local lagoon systems with regards to the
biological, physical, and chemical characteristics for fisheries
productivity and water quality.
CLEAP will compile a team of technical advisors, scientific consultants, and local lagoon management agencies to examine
identified impacts to lagoon stability and potential management
options for enhancing these sensitive habitats.
For more
information
on CLEAP contact
the City of Santa Anticipated Improvements include: Cruz at
• Installing lighting and call boxes for public safety (831) 420-5132 • Developing interpretive signage about the river’s habitats • Developing community events such as a river festival • Involving schools in river restoration