facts about AH

A Joint Effort
To Improve Water Quality

in the

Water Quality Issues

Urban growth and the resulting loss of permeable soil has led to the degradation of the Agua Hedionda Watershed. Recent growth and anticipated future development mean that a watershed that is already impaired could get even worse. Already,

Notable bank undercutting, and bank erosion characterize creeks in the Agua Hedionda Watershed.
Agua Hedionda Creek is listed as an impaired water body by the California State Water Resources Control Board for manganese, selenium, sulfates and excessive total dissolved solids.
Water quality analysis shows high nitrate levels, coliform bacteria and the presence of a pesticide called diazinon.
The Agua Hedionda Lagoon is also listed for excessive sedimentation/siltation, as well as coliform bacteria.

Working Together

Environmentalists, City officials, and other stakeholders in the Agua Hedionda Watershed agree that balancing land development and population growth with clean stream water and wildlife habitat preservation is possible with good data and a well though out plan.

A Blueprint for Action

Working together, the watershed stakeholders developed a comprehensive watershed management plan (WMP) that is a blueprint for action for all stakeholders be they local juridictions, conservationists, or state and federal agencies. The Agua Hedionda WMP:

Looks at the whole watershed, and the cumulative impacts from the headwaters down to the lagoon. It won't stop at jurisdictional boundaries.
Outlines how to meet local concerns as well as regional water quality objectives.
Recommends specific, scientifically-based actions so that for local governments and NGOs can apply for grants to fund projects such as steam restoration, stormwater best management practices (BMP), wetlands preservation, and critical lands protection.
Evaluates the opportunities and constraints for using Low Impact Development (L(D) for future residential, commercial, and industrial development in the watershed based on the actual climate in the Agua Hedionda watershed as well as the soils, slope, erosion potential for developable land. The study will show the most promising LID techniques to use, design considerations, and estimates of BMP effectiveness. This should aid the local governments as they meet new requirements to adopt local standards for LID.
Lays the foundation for long-term watershed management. It has management goals and objectives, and indicators for tracking success.

Progress Report

With funding from the State Water Resources Board and spearheaded by the City of Vista, a watershed management coordinator and a technical consulting team is laying the foundation for developing a long term management plan. We've made significant progress!

	Consensus building
	Grant Funding
	WPG Meetings and Presentations
	Water Quality Report
	Bio Engineering Report
	Initial Draft Plan
	Public Dissemination and Review
	Final Plan Published NEW
	Plan Adoption
	Plan Implementation

Collaboration

The Watershed Planning Group (WMP), is made up of citizens, regulatory agencies, municipalities, environmental groups, as well as education and research institutions, is providing recommendations on watershed plan development.

Concurrently, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of multidisciplinary technical experts from the various cities and the County is ensuring the technical accuracy of the watershed management plan and modeling assumptions..

About The Watershed Management Plan

Project consultants focused on producing a Watershed Management Plan that will:

Identifies primary stressors for the watershed
Develops a plan for restoring watershed health
Recommends an implementation strategy
Provides conceptual locations, designs, cost estimates for restoration projects
Recommends a prioritized implementation schedule

In addition, the Watershed Management Plan analyzes current water quality data and developed a hydrologic model that identifies:

Future monitoring of water quality
Problematic erosion and sediment areas
Potential land for acquisition and restoration

The Watershed Management Plan includes specific actionable, fundable efforts to:

Reduce the impact of new development
Restore stream channels, riparian buffers and wetlands
Retrofit storm water flows
Preserve and acquire land
Monitor and evaluate implementation
Encourage citizen stewardship
Obtain funding for restoration

The plan includes specific watershed management actions such as initial working design of stream restoration projects

Agua Hedionda Watershed Management Plan assisst adoption and implementation by:

Defining roles and responsibilities of cities, government agencies and other stakeholders.
Suggesting timelines and milestones
Estimating costs and financing of projects
Estimating impacts and benefits of the recommended watershed management actions.

More detailed information on the Agua Hedionda WMP Grant.

A Joint Effort To Improve Water Quality