Lower Colgan Creek restoration goes to bid; city outlines creek stewardship outreach and volunteer options

City water department staff told the Santa Rosa Waterways Advisory Committee on Feb. 27 that Lower Colgan Creek Restoration Phase 3 has been put out to bid and — if permitting and contracting proceed on schedule — construction could start June 15.

"The current engineer's estimate is $6,500,000," a water department staff member said at the meeting. The staff briefing described the project as the city’s largest capital creek restoration planned for the year, about 2,500 feet of channel work in a single season, planting more than 8,000 native trees and shrubs, installing a pedestrian bridge, and tying the restored reach to a future city park. Staff said phases 1 and 2 of Colgan Creek restoration are complete and that, when finished, the full project will cover about 1.3 miles.

Staff said the project is expected to be the city’s largest capital creek project this year and that the start date of June 15 represents the earliest time crews can enter the creek working window based on permitting requirements, including a stream alteration agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Creek stewardship and volunteer work

Water department staff also gave an overview of the city’s Creek Stewardship Program. Over the 2024 calendar year staff reported reaching thousands of residents through outreach and events, organizing multiple cleanup days and educational programs, and removing roughly 1,200 cubic yards of trash from creeks across the city — an amount staff said equates to more than 400 pickup-truck loads.

Staff described a set of recurring volunteer and community events: a first-Saturday-of-the-month cleanup in March, a partnership cleanup with the Russian River Sheepkeepers on the third Saturday of the month, and a Rosen and Roseland Creek cleanup around March 15. Staff said they can provide gloves, trash bags and other gear and can arrange municipal pickup of collected trash for organized groups.

How residents can get help

A member of the public and committee member, Kevin Godwin, asked how homeowners who live adjacent to a creek can address actions by neighbors — for example, a felled tree in the channel that may be redirecting flow and accelerating erosion near retaining walls. Staff told him the committee itself does not handle property-level enforcement but offered post-meeting contact with the city’s creek stewardship coordinator to arrange a site visit.

Staff provided contact details in the meeting: an email address for the creek stewardship program (recorded in the meeting as creeksteam@creeksatsrcity.org) and a phone contact for the creek stewardship coordinator, given in the meeting as 543-3845. Staff said they can schedule a creek stewardship site visit to advise homeowners about possible remedies and next steps.

Why it matters: The Colgan Creek project represents a multiyear restoration effort that integrates habitat planting, public paths and stormwater management; the stewardship and cleanup programs represent continuing outreach that supports maintenance and public education.

Next steps: staff said they will continue the bid process and return to the committee with construction updates, and they encouraged committees and community groups to organize cleanups and contact the creek stewardship team to coordinate support.