Watershed Information Center & Conservancy of Napa County

 


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Napa River Rutherford Reach Restoration Project

The Napa River Rutherford Dust Restoration Team is a coalition of private landowners working in partnership with Napa County to restore 4.5 miles of the Napa River ranging from Zinfandel Lane Bridge to the Oakville crossroad.  The project was launched as a community service initiative of the Rutherford Dust Society and retains strong organizational ties to this wine appellation group.  The Rutherford Dust Restoration Team (RDRT) stewardship group benefits from the fiscal sponsorship and technical oversight of the Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD).  Project responsibilities are defined via an innovative three party memorandum of understanding between the county, the Rutherford landowners, and the RCD.  Project funding for implementation is derived equally from Project landowners and Napa County Measure A funds.

Multiple agencies have been involved in project development and funding: the project is a terrific example of collaboration and leveraging available private-public funding.  The California Department of Fish and Game provided funding to analyze the riparian vegetation and conduct outreach to landowners.  The Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District with Napa County has overseen project engineering, on-site implementation, and maintenance in accordance with appropriate regulations.  The Napa County RCD provides a fiscal umbrella for the stewardship group and staffs the monitoring team.  Resource agencies involved in technical oversight and regulatory compliance include the California Department of Fish and game, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the national rings fisheries service, and the state Water Quality Control Board.

Restoration objectives for the Rutherford Reach of the Napa River include the following:

  1. Reduce bank erosion, loss of vineyard land, and flood damages by restoring stability to the Napa River,
  2. Reduce sediment loading into the river downstream and into San Pablo Bay (a Regional Water Quality Control Board TMDL objective),
  3. Restore habitat for salmonids and other aquatic species including existing runs of steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, by creating more riffles, reducing sediment burial of spawning gravels, and increasing cover and shade,
  4. Restore a continuous corridor of riparian habitat for birds and wildlife,
  5. Replace invasive plants with native species and reduce risk of Pierce's disease, and
  6. Engage landowners in the process and maintain regulatory compliance.

Project accomplishments to date include the following.

2002    

Rutherford Dust Society (RDS) Board of Directors vote unanimously to create the RDRT subcommittee, define goals and objectives, and fund initial studies/conceptual plan

2003

Presentation of the Napa River Project Conceptual Plan (CP) to Rutherford and Napa Valley winery owners, growers, land owners and local government officials.

2004

RDRT presents to Oakville District landowners, who agree to join the project. The scope of the effort extends to include a half-mile reach of the Napa River in the Oakville District.

2005

RDRT is awarded grants by the State Coastal Conservancy to develop a preliminary engineered design in concert with Napa County with the local Resource Conservation District (RCD) as grant manager.

2006

RDRT is awarded a State Water Board grant to create final designs and implement Phase 1 (the most upstream 1.5 miles of the project reach) based on project benefits to water quality.

2007

A detailed hydraulic model is completed to satisfy FEMA2009 Completion requirements to demonstrate that the project will not exacerbate flood risks.  Napa County RCD agrees to serve as umbrella for RDRT

2008

The comprehensive preliminary engineering design for the entire reach is completed with supporting environmental documentation.  Agency review and revision initiated with US Army Corps, US Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries, CA Dept of Fish and Game, and the State Water Board.  Landowner Advisory Committee formed to guide river maintenance process.  RDRT is awarded a federal non-point source pollution prevention grant to proceed with Phase 2 implementation.
2009

Completion of project regulatory review followed by July 2009 groundbreaking for Phase 1.  Project awarded Federal Stimulus funds to compensate for frozen State project funding.  Fundraising continues for subsequent project phases.

 

Project analyses and reports are available to the public and include:

 

  • A Conceptual Plan for the Stabilization and Restoration of the Napa River, Rutherford Reach (2003)

 

  • Napa River Rutherford Reach Restoration Project  Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (CEQA documentation) 2008
  • Final Basis of Design Report for the Napa River Rutherford Reach Restoration Project (2008)
  • Rutherford Dust Restoration Team Maintenance Plan (2008)
  • Rutherford Reach Monitoring Plan (2008)

 The majority of these documents may be accessed using the libr

library links on this page.