Flood Prevention: Stream Maintenance Underway In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Water Agency, or Sonoma Water, began stream
maintenance activities in or near more than 50 streams throughout Sonoma County this week to restore conveyance capacity and maintain proper function of flood channels. In February, heavy rains and flooding along the Russian River caused an estimated $155 million in damage across the county, impacting more than 1,900 homes and 578 businesses.

"It's one of the many ways we work to protect our communities and our watersheds," Sonoma Water Chair David Rabbitt said of the maintenance work.

The annual program allows Sonoma Water to maintain the capacity of flood control channels through vegetation management and sediment removal while also encouraging a healthy riparian habitat. Sonoma Water maintains 75 miles of flood control channels.

Sonoma Water works in conjunction with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the North Coast and San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Boards to obtain water quality certifications and permits for the program.

In accordance with permitting requirements, Sonoma Water biologists and arborists survey the maintenance sites for nesting birds and oversee vegetation removal activities.

Sonoma Water urges the public to keep clear of maintenance activities and equipment as a safety measure.

—Bay City News Service