NATIONAL
 ESTUARY
 PROGRAM
STREAMSIDE  FENCING
When the California Men's Colony (CMC) wastewater treatment plant experienced systemic problems resulting in sewage and other pollutant discharge into
Chorro Creek, the CA Regional Water Quality Control Board responded with substantial fines as well as measures to reduce future problems. Chorro Creek
is one of the main tributaries to the Morro Bay State and National Estuary. Rather then seeing those fines go into a statewide cleanup fund, the Morro Bay
National Estuary Program (MBNEP) worked with CMC and the Water Board to direct these funds to local projects, including the creation of a Riparian Fenc-
ing Program.
The MBNEP initiated the Riparian Fencing Program in 2005. The riparian zone, a small but ecologically significant region between land and stream, is home to a wide range of
biodiversity and significantly influences the aquatic ecosystem. Since the fencing project's inception, the MBNEP has installed approximately 70,000 feet of streamside fencing in
the Chorro Valley watershed, the equivalent of roughly 13.4 miles of fence, protecting water quality on seven creeks.

THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM  IN ACTION                               Morro Bay  National  Estuary Program
The Chorro  Valley  drains  the
northern two-thirds of the Morro
Bay Estuary watershed.  Cattle
ranching  is  the single largest
land use in this valley and tradi-
tional ranching practices allowed
cattle  open  access to  creek
channels and the riparian corri-
dor for their primary source of
water  and shade. This practice
can cause accelerated erosion
from denuded stream banks and
a reduction in vegetated canopy
that offers food and shelter for
fish and wildlife. The cattle can
further degrade water quality by
directly contributing  nutrients
          and pathogens to the creek. Ri-
          parian fencing addresses  each
          of these problems and also re-
          sults in a buffer of dense vegeta-
          tion adjacent to the creek that
          can serve as a filter strip to re-
          duce inputs of silt, nutrients, and
          pathogens from adjacent graz-
          ing areas during storm events.

          Water  quality data from  the
          Estuary Program's  long-term
          monitoring shows  consistently
          elevated levels of pathogen indi-
          cators (fecal conform and e. coli)
          below  open  grazing  areas. A
          paired watershed  study  con-
ducted by the Central Coast Re-
gional Water  Quality  Control
Board and California Polytechnic
State  University  had   already
demonstrated benefits to vege-
tation and stream temperature
from   riparian   fencing.  The
MBNEP was able to use these
data to identify and prioritize po-
tential riparian fencing projects.

Working  closely with ranchers
and landowners on both public
and private land and being re-
ceptive to their  needs has been
an important factor in the suc-
cess  of the  project. The  MBNEP
 EFFECTIVE
                    EFFICIENT
                   ADAPTIVE
COLLABORATIVE

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                                                              SEP FUNDS
                                                              R I PARIAN F E NCI NG
                                                              SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT
                                                              February 2009
attributes the project's effective-
ness to the positive response of
landowners and their communi-
cation with other property own-
ers in the watershed. By working
on publicly owned land first, then
moving  into carefully  selected
privately  held  lands,  MBNEP
effectively demonstrated a will-
ingness   to  collaborate  with
and respond to the needs of the
land  managers.  Formerly reti-
cent   landowners  are  now
approaching  the  MBNEP   to
participate in the program.

Landowners that participate  are
asked to  provide 10%  of  the
cost, as well as to commit to
maintaining the fences for  10
years and  allowing  access  for
habitat and water quality moni-
toring. The Estuary Program  has
worked   with   other   funding
sources  and partners  to maxi-
mize the benefit of  these proj-
ects. Ongoing monitoring is  un-
derway to track the effectiveness
of each fencing project and in-
form future  efforts. Early  data
suggests that  pathogen levels
are improving  downstream  of
these riparian fencing projects.

Visit www.mbnep.org to learn
more   about  this  and  other
MBNEP efforts.

EPA's  National  Estuary  Program
(NEP) is a unique and successful
coastal watershed-based program
established  in  1987 under the
Clean   Water Act Amendments.
The NEP involves the public and
collaborates with partners to pro-
tect, restore, and maintain the wa-
ter quality and ecological integrity
of 28 estuaries of national signifi-
cance located in 18 coastal states
and Puerto Rico,

For more information about the
NEP go to  www.epa.gov/owow/
estuaries.
The NEP:  Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and  Collaborative.
                                                           EPA-842F09001

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