Sfei will lead a 4-year project with a team of partners and stakeholders in the north BAY, east BAY, and south BAY to: (1) develop sediment reuse strategies for increasing the reuse of up to 45,000…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 awarded a $5,826,000 Project Grant to the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) under the Geographic Programs - San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund (CFDA 66.126).

The 4-year project aims to: (1) develop strategies to increase beneficial reuse of up to 45,000 tons of flood control channel sediment for habitat restoration; (2) implement pilot projects to restore several acres of tidal marsh and creek habitat; (3) develop visions to reconnect creeks with marshlands to support long-term resilience of up to 95 acres of tidal marsh; and (4) analyze future watershed sediment dynamics under climate change scenarios to inform watershed management recommendations. The project will engage a range of stakeholders, including regulatory agencies, restoration practitioners, and community groups, and includes several sub-awards to partners like Sonoma Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, and Friends of the Petaluma River to support community engagement and technical analyses. The outcomes from this project are intended to guide sediment management and habitat restoration efforts throughout the San Francisco Bay region.

Sfei will lead a 4-year project with a team of partners and stakeholders in the north BAY, east BAY, and south BAY to: (1) develop sediment reuse strategies for increasing the reuse of up to 45,000 tons of flood control channel sediment in the near-term; (2) implement pilot reuse projects that help restore several acres of tidal marsh and transition zone habitat and critical creek habitat; (3) develop creek-marsh reconnection landscape visions that support the resilience of up to 95 acres of tidal marsh; and (4) develop watershed management recommendations for supporting bayland sediment supply and creek health under a range of future climate scenarios in two major watersheds. The partnerships and products developed can be used to guide other efforts throughout the region. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $2,913,000.00. Preaward costs are approved back to 6/1/2023.activities:sediment solutions has four major components. The first three tasks develop the data and tools needed for increasing watershed sediment supply to baylands to support long-term resilience. In task 1, watershed sediment reuse strategies and pilot implementation projects, sfei will work with flood control agency partners, regulatory agency partners, restoration practitioners, and other stakeholders in the north and south BAY to develop strategies for increasing beneficial reuse of sediment removed from flood control channels for bayland and watershed restoration projects. This task will include implementation of pilot projects that increase the reuse of flood control channel sediment. In task 2, visions for RE-establishing creek-marsh connections, the project team will work with local communities, agency partners, regulatory agency partners, restoration practitioners, tribal representatives, and other stakeholders in the north BAY and east BAY to develop visions for restoring creek-bayland connections, which will help baylands get sediment needed for long-term resilience. In task 3, future watershed sediment dynamics, the team will work with flood control agency and municipal partners in the north and south BAY on developing a detailed understanding of watershed flow, sediment supply to the BAY, erosion/deposition dynamics, and associated ecosystem conditions for a range of climate futures and watershed management/restoration scenarios. Task 4, coordination and outreach, focuses on disseminating the outputs from tasks 1 through 3 and forwarding innovation tools and approaches for meeting the need for sediment for bayland restoration and long-term resilience. Subrecipient:technical advisors for science development at a series of workgroup meetings that requires specialized input.-subaward: all honoraria will be below $10,000 (task 2, 3) $57,940 SAN francisco estuary partnership subaward $64,100 for facilitation of sediment reuse workshops sonoma land trust subaward $9,960 for support in workshops to identify watershed-specific opportunities for increasing sediment beneficial reuse ducks unlimited subaward $9,960 for support in workshops to identify watershed-specific opportunities for increasing sediment beneficial reuse the watershed project subaward $81,600 for community engagement with local leaders and residents from the nearby community of parchester village and tribal members friends of the petaluma river subaward $61,840 for community engagement with local leaders, residents, and tribal representatives to understand ways the redesign project can advance community priorities sonoma RCD subaward $45,600 for contributing to the analysis of sediment dynamics and sources of sediment to the petaluma watershed outcomes:task 1. Watershed sediment reuse strategies and pilot implementation projects- deliverables include 2 workshops, sediment strategy report, fact sheet, pilot project task 2. Visions for RE-establishing creek-marsh connections- deliverables include visioning workshops, community M