Introduction to ITAS
Napa River Sediment TMDL Implementation Tracking and Accounting System (ITAS)
Napa County, with help from several partners, is developing a Napa River Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Tracking and Accounting System (ITAS). The work is funded in part with financial assistance from the U.S. EPA. The tracking system will be designed to account for required and recommended implementation actions prescribed in the Napa River Sediment Reduction and Habitat Enhancement Plan (Napa River Sediment TMDL). The Napa River Sediment TMDL was adopted as part of the Water Quality Control Plan for the S. F. Bay Basin in September 2009.
Objectives | Summary | Status | Timeline | Contact
Objectives
The objectives of the ITAS are to:
- Identify progress towards achieving TMDL goals and compliance;
- Prioritize implementation actions;
- Inform management strategies; and
- Communicate the results to stakeholders, regulatory agencies, funders and policy makers.
A scope of work for the project can be found under 'related content' in left side-bar of this page along with other project related documents.
Summary
Napa County has contracted with Tetra Tech Inc. to develop a web-based ITAS to assist the County and other responsible reporting entities in tracking their progress and implementation actions within the Napa River watershed that reduce sediment loading of waterways, improve aquatic and riparian habitat quality, and meet the objectives of the Napa River Sediment TMDL. The ITAS will track performance measures that demonstrate compliance and relative effectiveness of specific watershed actions intended to control or reduce sediment delivery to the river system and improve overall stream function within the river system.
- Tracking of TMDL implementation actions and projects completed and ongoing throughout the Napa River watershed.
- Identification and prioritization of metrics that will communicate incremental progress of improvement actions implemented throughout the watershed, including the identification and inventory of existing data to support the metrics.
- Identification of the watershed boundaries by which specific tracking and accounting metrics would be reported via a web based system.
- Development of a public ITAS module to display TMDL implementation actions and metrics in an easily understandable and meaningful way to inform state, local, and federal stakeholders of progress being made, and to encourage continued support and confidence in TMDL implementation actions.
- Promotion of stakeholder and community collaboration across the watershed and will foster effective and transparent communication at all levels of involvement from local implementers to regional policy makers.
Status
In September 2012 Napa County hired Tetra Tech, Inc. and sub-consultant, 2ndNature, to assist in developing the ITAS. In November 2012, project kick-off and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings were held. 27 attendees received an overview of the project at the kick-off and 20 TAC members provided input on ITAS metric characteristics and metric selection possibilities. TAC members were asked to vote on their top metric characteristics and top metrics.
- Cost associated with data collection and analysis upon start-up and annually over time;
- Sensitivity to show change over time due to management action, natural variability and sampling error;
- Ability to measure progress towards meeting the objectives listed in the Sediment TMDL;
- Effectiveness to inform future management action and location;
- Data ownership and sensitivity regarding who collects, manages and maintains the data; and
- Technical expertise needed to collect, manage, analyze and report the metric.
- Fisheries monitoring;
- Stream habitat assessment;
- Bank erosion;
- Best Management Practice (BMP) tracking; and
- Road condition assessment.
Timeline
Finalize initial draft ITAS metrics, report back to stakeholders/TAC (Done)- Categorize metrics according to short or long term system goals, assess data availability (Done)
- Finalize draft sub-watershed reporting boundaries/areas for each metric (Done)
- Continue Data collection and assess data gaps (through June '15)
- Develop final online screens/tools for initial testing, display and mapping (Jan '15)
- Hold final TAC meeting to collect stakeholder input (Jan '15)
- System migration, testing and refinement (Jan-Mar '15)
- End of project development/grant (June '15)
- System management and maintenance (June '15 forward)
