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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 4.H 08/05/2019p' L I85e, DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Revised Agenda Item #4.H Revision No. 1 - Thursday, August 1, 2019 August 5, 2019 r" Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager Peggy Flynn, City Manager Jason Beatty, Assistant Public Works Director Letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Senators Feinstein and Harris, and Representative Huffman Requesting Dredging of the Petaluma River RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council consider, and if appropriate, have all Councilmembers sign a Letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Senators Feinstein and Harris, and Representative Huffman Requesting Dredging of the Petaluma River. BACKGROUND The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for dredging Federal Waters throughout the United States, including the Petaluma River, to allow commercial and recreational access and use. The USACE territory is nationwide, and the Petaluma River has not been high enough priority over the last 21 years to compete with other nationwide dredge projects. The river channel into the San Pablo Bay (also known as Across the Flats) was last dredged in 1998, partial dredge of the Petaluma River within City limits was done in 2003, and a dredge of the Petaluma Marina was completed in 2005. Historically, dredging was scheduled to be performed by the USACE every three years for the Across the Flats section and four years within City Limits. In over 20 years without a full dredge, commercial and recreational use of the Petaluma River has declined steeply, especially in the downtown area, as River -dependent businesses have closed, and as recreational boaters choose other locations to spend their time and money. This fiscal year, over $600,000 Federal funds have been spent by the USACE to perform the necessary studies and permitting work for a new dredge of the Petaluma River. Staff understands that the major remaining barrier to a new dredge is the commitment of additional Federal funds to implement the dredge. Specific funds supporting the Petaluma dredge were not included in the USACE's current budget, so the next opportunity is to appeal to the USACE to add this project to their workplan and include funding for it in their discretionary budget. The workplan process is expected to conclude in December. The Mayor created a "Dredge Pledge'" petition to inform the USACE of the community's support for dredging, which had 2,313 supporters as of July 29, 2019. The Mayor's Dredge Pledge and the community's response, combined with the interest and efforts of the entire Council to realize another full dredge, is the impetus for the letter referenced below. DISCUSSION A letter has been drafted for the Council's consideration, approval, and execution as appropriate, to the USACE, U.S. Senators Feinstein and Harris, and U.S. Representative Huffman requesting a dredge of the Petaluma River in the short-term, while the City and its partners examine long- terin solutions. The letter requests one final, full dredge be included in the USACE's December workplan. If the Council supports this letter, is it recommended that all seven members sign the letter and direct staff to submit it. PUBLIC OUTREACH There have been numerous discussions of the need to dredge by the Council and by the public. Examining short-term and long-term funding solutions for dredging are included in the FY 19-20 and 20/21 Council Goals and Priorities. FINANCIAL IMPACTS There are no significant financial impacts triggered by the support or submission of the attached letter. If dredging is included in the USACE workplan, staff will work with the USACE and Council to identify and minimize negative financial impacts and maximize positive financial impacts created by the deeper river channel. ATTACHMENTS 1. Letter httt)s://www.thet)etitionsite. com/988/329/928/take-mavor-teresa-barrett°/`E2 °/`8O`/`99s-dredge-pledsae-todav/ IN August 5, 2019 Honorable Dianne Feinstein Honorable Kamala Harris United States Senate United States Senate 331 Hart Senate Office Building 112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Honorable Jared Huffman Lt. Col. John Cunningham United States House of Representatives U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1527 Longworth House Office Building P.O, Box 36023, 450 Golden Gate Avenue Washington, DC 20515 San Francisco, CA 94102 Re.: City of Petaluma Request for Dredain4 of Petaluma River Dear Senator Feinstein, Senator Harris, Representative Huffman, and Colonel Cunningham: We write to renew our request that the Army Corps of Engineers perform one final, full dredging of the Petaluma River channel from downtown Petaluma to the deepwater portion of San Pablo Bay. Once completed, the City of Petaluma is prepared to assume substantial additional responsibility for future dredging cycles. The River is central to the health and vitality of our community. Petaluma is located at the head of navigation on the Petaluma River because the River was how local farmers got their produce to Gold Rush -era San Francisco. The Petaluma River channel — from the D Street drawbridge in downtown Petaluma to its mouth on San Pablo Bay — has traditionally been dredged by the Corps on a four-year cycle. The Corps last performed a maintenance dredging of the channel in 1998, although there was a partial FEMA dredge in 2003. The segment from the mouth of the Petaluma River to the deep -water portion of San Pablo Bay — known as "Across -the -Flats" — has traditionally been dredged by the Corps at the same time the main river channel was dredged. The Corps last performed maintenance dredging Across -the - Flats in 1998. The City of Petaluma has always been responsible for dredging the area adjacent to the Federal Channel, specifically our Marina. The City is also responsible to maintain the Shollenberger sediment decant facility including paying for the removal of dredge sediment to a final site. While Petaluma has paid for dredging this area in the past, we coordinated with Corps dredging of the channel to avoid separate mobilization costs, which are substantial. The lack of timely dredging continues to have profound impacts on both commercial and recreational boat traffic on the Petaluma River. A longtime business located next to the D Street drawbridge has shut down and left because barges could no longer access its dock. Further downriver, the companies bringing aggregate to Haystack Landing have been forced to use smaller and partially laden barges. Bay Area yacht clubs that used to regularly spend weekends in the Turning Basin are now unable to do so, which deprives our downtown businesses of needed clientele. Currently, at low tide there are areas of the Federal Channel with less than one foot of depth and large parts of the Turning Basin with exposed mud flats. These conditions are also on the cusp of undermining the effectiveness of the $40 million flood control project immediately upstream from the Turning Basin, substantially completed 15 years ago and funded jointly by the federal government, the Sonoma County Water Agency Flood Control District and the City. Given the severe siltation problems currently in the Marina and Turning Basin, the City now needs to dredge them ourselves (including the Federal Channel portion of the Turning Basin) as soon as practicable, and bear both the mobilization and dredging costs. This effort is a challenge for us, especially given our severe unmet General Fund service needs, but we have identified appropriate funding sources that can be dedicated to this emergency dredging. Longer term, the City of Petaluma will work with partners to establish a path to assume additional responsibility for future dredging cycles following one final, full dredging by the Army Corps of Engineers of the Petaluma River channel from downtown Petaluma to the deep- water portion of San Pablo Bay. In closing, our request is that a final dredging of the Petaluma River be included in the Corps' workplan this December, so that we can focus our attention on the ongoing maintenance of the lifeblood of our community. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Teresa Barrett Kevin McDonnell Mayor D'Lynda Fischer Councilmember Gabe Kearney Councilmember Kathy Miller Councilmember Vice Mayor Mike Healy Councilmember Dave King Councilmember 0