Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Alameda County staff to keep using current USGS watercourse maps until USGS rolls out 3D hydrography; residents urge reinstating 2015 maps
Summary
Public Works told the Transportation Planning Committee it will continue to rely on the 2021 USGS map for the Watercourse Protection Ordinance and plan targeted revisions after USGS's new 3D hydrography mapping (expected in 2025). Dozens of residents and environmental groups urged the county to restore protections using 2015 topo maps now.
Alameda County Public Works staff recommended the county continue to rely on the current USGS map in the Watercourse Protection Ordinance (WPO) and defer substantive ordinance changes until USGS issues its new 3D hydrography products, which staff said are expected in mid‑fiscal 2025.
Daniel Wildesenbeth, who the meeting identified as the presentation lead, told the Transportation Planning Committee "The Watercourse Ordinance will continue to rely on the most recent USGS map for the watercourse designation," and said USGS is moving to a lidar‑based program that assigns a stream 'periodicity' or 'stream permanence' value rather than the older ephemeral/intermittent/perennial labels.
Why the county is waiting: Wildesenbeth said the 3D Hydrography Program (3D HP) will add elevation and flow‑period metrics that are longitudinal over time, allowing the county to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
