Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan

Introduction
History
Purpose and Vision
Goals
Plan Elements
Objectives and Action Items
Highlights

Introduction

The Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan is the framework for cooperative watershed management of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit (CHU) by local governments, agencies, organizations, and other watershed stake holders. It describes the current conditions of the various watersheds within the CHU and a plan of action to protect, enhance and restore the CHU.

The CWMP calls for protection, restoration and enhancement of undeveloped open space in the headwaters of the watershed that will provide natural filtering capabilities for water runoff control and water quality improvements. Also, it calls for the purchase or transfer into public ownership or control of as many of the open space and wetland resources as possible.

History

In 2001, the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit requiring a watershed based planning approach to avoiding and solving surface water quality problems. This permit issued to the cities in San Diego County, including those within the CHU, requires the cities to cooperate in solving water quality issues by taking a watershed based approach that may include amending general plans. These local governments participate in the CWN in part to fulfill their requirements for Public Participation with watershed stake holders.

The CWN initiated the development of the CWMP through the application and subsequent award of a Clean Water Act 205 (j) grant from the State of California. The grant was awarded in late 1999, and implemented with a consultant group and a Technical Advisory Committee selected in 2001. The plan was administered through the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), with local direction from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego, the grant applicant, served as the fiscal and day-to-day manager of the planning.

The CWMP was completed in late 2002 after many public meetings and presentations to various groups, agencies, and local governments.

Purpose and Vision

The purpose of the Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) is to provide a vision for the resource management of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit (CHU) by:

Identifying goals for realizing the vision
Specifying actions to reach those goals,
Outlining a strategy for implementing these actions,
Determining the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the strategy implementation and
Prescribing a measurable monitoring program to determine how well the actions have implemented the vision.

The CWN with input from the public workshops adopted the following as the vision of the CWMP.

vision

"Protect, restore, and enhance the quality and beneficial uses of water, habitats, and other natural resources of the watersheds of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit and the adjacent coastal shoreline."

Goals

The following goals provide direction and support to both the CWN and the CWMP vision statement.

Goal 1:
Protect, restore and expand the undeveloped open space that will provide self sustaining hydrologic and habitat connections.

Purchase or transfer into public ownership as many of these resources as possible, including functional buffers needed for protection.

Goal 2:
Protect public health by preventing and minimizing health risks to users (human & wildlife) of local water resources.

Establish a monitoring program to assure continued protection,
Develop a method of ranking severity of problems.
Determine a process for making the data publicly accessible through an Internet database,
Recognize that public health includes flood protection.

Goal 3:
Protect, restore and enhance beneficial water uses and environmental health.

Strive for balance between human uses, planned development and resource protection.

Goal 4:
Facilitate coordinated efforts among cities, regulatory agencies and environmental organizations to implement watershed management policies and physical improvements at the most functional locations in the most effective manner, without restrictions to political boundaries.

Goal 5:
Educate to increase the public's knowledge, understanding and appreciation of local watersheds and associated water resources.

Develop an educational program to explain the importance of open space in protecting areas and provide public access to these areas.
Develop individual, and organizational stewardship and financial responsibility through programs, training and restoration activities.
Establish monitoring protocols and training for citizen monitoring.

Elements

The Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan addresses and defines ten individual elements regarding the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit.

Describe the geographical boundaries of the watersheds;
Describe the natural resource conditions in the watersheds;
Identify sources of water pollution and the relative contribution of those sources;
Develop a process for public involvement and community-based leadership that includes diverse interests;
Describe measurable management practices for water quality improvements;
Identify measurable environmental and programmatic goals;
Identify measures to achieve clean water and other natural resource goals;
Identify phasing priorities and possible funding sources for implementation of needed restoration measures;
Identify means of monitoring progress towards achieving environmental and programmatic goals; and
Identify appropriate agencies to oversee implementation, maintenance, monitoring and evaluation.

Plan Objectives and Action Items

The Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan provides a framework for near-term and long-term planning and "Actions Items". Input from the general public and other interested members who attended the initial workshops led to a synthesis of the "Plan Objectives" that takes into account the current environmental conditions, water quality issues and regulatory efforts underway within each of the individual watersheds and the larger hydrologic unit.

Plan Objectives: "Top Twelve"

Protect beneficial water uses:
Coordinate watershed efforts:
Plan at the watershed level but analyze and implement at the sub-watershed level:
Integrate various planning efforts:
Protect coastal and wetland resources:
Protect and integrate bluebelt, greenbelt and brownbelt systems:
Protect upland headwater open space:
Coordinate and organize data collection and analysis:
Test and evaluate Best Management Practices (BMP's):
Provide public watershed education:
Model hydrology for both floodway protection and stream restoration:
Implement a comprehensive exotic species removal program:

Recommended Action Items

The Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan calls for implementation of these Action Items within the current practices of local, county, state and federal agencies and implementation of others as funding becomes available.

Develop and implement a stream buffer zoning policy,
Develop exotic species management plans for each of the watersheds,
Coordinate the augmentation of existing monitoring and data collection systems,
Development and implementation of urban stormwater pollutants sampling program,
Develop Sub-watershed Management Goals and Plans,
Develop Sub-watershed Mapping and Technical Tools,
Review pertinent field data regarding Best Management Practice (BMP) efficiencies and recommended adoption of proven best performers.,
Developing criteria for and implement last resort water quality structural BMP's just above each of the coastal lagoons,
Coordinate research on contaminant detection protocols within municipal sewer/stormwater systems,
Form a Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit Council,
Involve Individual watershed management entities,
Develop Watershed-wide public education program.

The CWMP calls for annual reviews of these objectives and action items by the Carlsbad Watershed Network and its members for continual monitoring of water quality within the CHU.

Highlights

The Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) has excellent material for citizens and students of all levels who wish to learn more about watershed, watershed protection, and the status of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit and its watersheds, creeks, and lagoons.

The following are is a partial list of the contents and references found in the CWMP .

Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan A complete copy in PDF format in low resolution is available courtesy of Project Clean Water.

Watershed Definition and Fundamentals, Chapter 2 is a detailed examination of what a watershed is and how a watershed works. The structure and overview of watershed definitions, features, and processes, is paraphrased from the Watershed Fundamentals section of the "Oregon Watershed Assessment Manual, 1999"

Watershed Overview Chapter 4 is a general overview of the current status of the Carlsbad Hydrologic unit with various maps and charts and includes separate analysis of each of the watershed within the CHU.

Plan Objective and Action Items Chapter 5 defines and details the objectives and action steps required to protect, enhance and restore water quality within the CHU.

Glossary of Watershed Terms, An appendix to the Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan provides clear easy-to-understand definitions of watershed related terms.

Acronyms and Abbreviations, An appendix to the Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan is a list of frequently used acronyms related to watershed management.

Bibliography, An appendix to the Carlsbad Watershed Management Plan is a complete reference list used in preparation of the CWMP.