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CGF helps local governments protect watersheds
by Kathy Switky and Brian Schmidt

Tracking and managing the cumulative impacts from incremental environmental changes is one of the most challenging problems facing agencies and land managers. Such cumulative impacts pose particularly severe threats to streams and water quality, particularly regarding the effects of new "impervious surfaces," replacing natural ground with pavement and buildings.

Recognizing this, the Clean Water Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act have imposed new requirements on agencies to address some of the cumulative impacts of impervious surfaces. In addition, changes in the California Environmental Quality Act require adequate cumulative impact analysis.

Cumulative changes in impervious surfaces pose very significant threats in Santa Clara County, where some water bodies in the county are already considered "impaired." Decreased water quality and increased erosion are serious threats with potentially enormous consequences.

To help agencies address these challenges, Committee for Green Foothills has just released a report that examines the value of tracking these cumulative changes for land use planning. The report describes how governmental agencies in Santa Clara County could incorporate this tracking into their land use planning process under the California Environmental Quality Act, and mitigate cumulative impacts from impervious surfaces.

CGF is now working with local agencies to help disseminate the information in the report. Interested managers can download the report at www.GreenFoothills.org/impervious.

CGF gratefully acknowledges the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which provided support for this project through the Watershed Stewardship Grant Program.