Nutrient offset and sediment reduction at the Pepperwood Preserve: a win-win for water quality and fish

PWA will provide technical guidance to the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District and construction oversight in support of a sediment reduction project during the summer/fall of 2013 affecting 2.3 miles of unpaved roads within the Pepperwood Preserve. Implementation of the Pepperwood Preserve Nutrient Offset Project is being funded by the City of Santa Rosa to obtain nutrient credits as part of the Nutrient Offset Program under the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Resolution R1-2008-0061 (Nutrient Offset Program). The program is meant to offset pollution discharged from the wastewater treatment plant to the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a tributary of the Russian River. The long term sediment reduction resulting from the proposed road related project will serve as a “credit” by reducing Phosphorous and Nitrogen input from land management practices elsewhere in the watershed. In addition to the benefits gained from the nutrient credit offsets, the implementation project will prevent over 3,000 cubic yards of sediment from delivering to Mark West Creek, an important salmonid bearing tributary of the Russian River. For more information, check out the Pepperwood Project Nutrient Credit Proposal and this recent article in the Press Democrat.