Livestock and Land Program

In partnership with the Livestock and Land Program, the Coastal Watershed Council (CWC) and the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (SMCRCD) will conduct monthly water quality monitoring in three watersheds in Monterey and San Mateo counties between January and December 2012.  

The Livestock and Land Program aims to achieve immediate and lasting water quality and watershed improvements by educating livestock owners on Best Management Practices (BMPs). The Program has been active in four counties along California’s Central Coast. With funding provided by a Department of Water Resources (Proposition 84) grant, the Program will expand to include properties near rivers and streams that flow into Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS). The water quality monitoring is a required component of the grant funding.

Water quality monitoring will be conducted in local streams targeted for Livestock and Land Program implementation sites to complement other performance assessment efforts. CWC will conduct water quality monitoring at four specific sites along the Carmel River in Monterey County. The SMCRCD will conduct water quality monitoring at three specific sites on San Vicente Creek and three specific sites on Sunshine Valley/Dean Creek in San Mateo County. Site locations are upstream and downstream of areas with livestock facilities where BMPs may be implemented to reduce the amount of sediment, nutrients and bacteria entering waterways.

The objective of this monitoring project is to measure ambient water quality conditions at specific sites on the Carmel River in Monterey County and on San Vicente and Sunshine Valley/Dean Creeks in San Mateo County.

CWC is actively recruiting volunteers. Contact Debie Chirco-Macdonald at 831-464-9200 or djchirco@coastalws.org