Wetlands

The District proposed to replace the values of lost alkaline wetlands during dam construction by enhancing existing degraded wetlands through fencing and other improvements.

This mitigation has led to a more certain replacement of wetland habitat values and acreage, at less risk than using traditional methods.

An important part of the project was the relocation of Vasco Road, a two-lane highway that was in the inundation area. Through careful relocation of the new road, CCWD was able to reduce potential wetland impacts by 60 percent, to about 19 acres.

In all, CCWD created nearly 13 acres of wetlands, twice the acreage lost in the reservoir's inundation area. In addition, 30 acres of natural wetlands were fenced to protect them from grazing cattle.

The Water District maintains riparian zone buffers to protect tributaries in the watershed. More than 9,000 valley and blue oak seedlings have been planted within the watershed, many by local students.

Some of the wetlands areas in the watershed are accessible by the Kellogg Creek Trail (#22) on the watershed map.

The Contra Costa County Resource Conservation District works to protect lands near Los Vaqueros, particularly in Marsh Creek.