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Residents and environmental groups urge SAFCA to help clear creek debris, warn against rock-trench erosion control
Summary
Public commenters at the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency July meeting called on SAFCA to partner on creek cleanups and criticized proposed erosion-control designs in Contract 3B, urging consideration of bioengineering alternatives and greater protection for heritage trees.
Residents and environmental advocates urged the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) on July 17 to take a more active role removing decades of debris from local creeks and to reconsider proposed bank-protection designs for the Lower American River.
The comments came during the meeting’s public-comment period from volunteers and neighborhood residents who said illegal encampments and storm-driven deposits have left large items — including a queen-size mattress — clogging creek bottoms and harming habitat.
"We need a partnership of all of these agencies working together to include Safeco to help us with that," said Lisa Sanchez, a volunteer with River City Waterway Alliance, who described recent cleanup work and the scale of material volunteers remove.
Nancy Niskerin, a College Greens East resident, cautioned against installation of trench-filled revetments described in SAFCA materials as "launchable rock trenches." Niskerin said the measure requires excavation along the bank top that can remove significant riparian vegetation and habitat and warned of maintenance and erosion risks if the stone is launched into the channel. "If it never launches, hallelujah," she said, describing the tradeoffs.
Pete Spalding of American River Trees said his group and others have submitted a 22-page technical memorandum proposing bioengineering alternatives that, in their view, were not adequately considered for Contract 3B’s final environmental report. He also said a letter on the agenda from another correspondent identified errors in the project’s tally of heritage oaks.
"The American River Parkway is the greatest asset that this region has," Spalding said, and urged SAFCA and partner agencies to take more targeted, "surgical" approaches that minimize tree removal and protect the parkway’s wildlife corridor. He said his group will push the American River Flood Control District to pull Contract 3B from approval documents at its meeting the following day to allow more time for review.
Speakers said they have contacted multiple agencies, including the city of Sacramento, Sacramento County, the American River Flood Control District, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Fish and Game, but described responsibility as being passed among agencies.
The SAFCA board did not take action on the public comments during the meeting; the items were presented during public comment only.
