Sep 3 Council Meeting Agenda (Revised) 

The next meeting of the Watershed Council will be on Thursday, September 3, 2015, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, in the Topping Room of the EP Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street.

Agenda highlights: Dana Bogdanich, with Ventura County Resource Conservation District, will provide an update on the latest activities of the Horse and Livestock Watershed Alliance; Elizabeth Martinez, with Ventura County Watershed Protection District, will report on a new invasive plant removal and ecosystem restoration project on the Ventura River; Lynn Rodriguez, with Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County, and Zoe Carlson, with the Santa Clara River Watershed Committee, will provide a debriefing from the California Climate Change Symposium 2015; the Council will (hopefully) make a decision about whether to have the watershed coordinator services provided through an independent contractor or Ventura County Watershed Protection District; and the Council will review the final watershed coordinator work plan for approval (budget reflects anticipated funding).

Here is the agenda. Note that this agenda is an updated version of the one distributed last week.

State Offering Rebates to Replace Old Toilets and Turf

On August 12, 2015, the California Department of Water Resources announced two new rebate programs to further advance water conservation. The “turf and toilet” program offers rebates to California residents to replace one old toilet per household, and up to $2,000 per household for turf replacement.

For more information, see the program’s press release and website: Save Our Water Rebates.

The City of Ventura’s Water Wise Incentive Program also offers turf removal rebates. The City has posted information on their website about how this new program will work with their program.

Sept 19 Coastal and Inland Waterways Cleanup Day

Please consider participating in or helping to promote this year’s Coastal and Inland Waterways Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 19, 2015. The Ventura Countywide Coalition for Coastal and Inland Waterways coordinates the program and cleanup sites in Ventura County. See their website (www.vccoastcleanup.org) for a map of cleanup site locations in the county. Here is a promotional flier.

Here are the cleanup sites in or near the Ventura River watershed. Show up by 9 am.

• City of Ojai: Meet at Libbey Park lower tennis courts parking lot off of S. Montgomery St.
• Lake Casitas: Meet at Picnic Area #1, about a half mile from front gate. (805/649-2233 x123)
• Emma Wood State Beach Group Camp: Meet at the kiosk.
• Ventura Promenade: Meet at the California Street Plaza near the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

 

Construction Has Begun!

Construction has begun on the Meiners Oaks stormwater treatment retrofit project. Woo Hoo!! Way to go Ewelina Mutkowska and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District! The project is located next to Meiners Oaks Elementary School on Ojai Valley Land Conservancy property. 

Photos by Rick Bisaccia

Funding Fair (Sept 23) & Handbook

The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) periodically holds free funding fairs in Sacramento. The next one is on September 23, 2015 (flier). The CFCC is made up of six funding members: State Water Resources Control Board, United States Department of Agriculture, California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Department of Water Resources, California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, and Bureau of Reclamation.

The CFCC Funding Fairs provide opportunities to learn more about available grant, loan, and bond financing options for infrastructure projects. These fairs are directed towards local government representatives, water and irrigation district managers, economic development and engineering professionals, financial advisors, and project consultants.

If you can’t make it to the fair, the CFCC’s website contains a very useful “2015 Funding Fairs” handbook, which can be downloaded. The information is not limited to infrastructure projects.