Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program

AMS is assisting the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program with implementation of a watershed management and monitoring program for stormwater discharges. The Clean Water Program, which is a consortium of 17 East-Bay cities and Alameda County agencies, is required to implement a program to reduce the adverse impact of stormwater discharges on water quality pursuant to an NPDES permit.

AMS is assisting the county with permit compliance monitoring, while developing an innovative long-term monitoring plan through application of watershed management techniques. AMS is also developing a database of water chemistry sampling results from data collected by the County over the past 15 years.

Issues being addressed include developing appropriate indicators of beneficial uses, providing satisfactory opportunities for stakeholder input, coordinating the Clean Water Program’s monitoring and management efforts with activities of other Bay area environmental monitoring organizations, and preparing a long-term data management plan and web page.

Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District

AMS is assisting the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District by facilitating the work of the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Work Group.

This group, representing the diverse set of stakeholders in the Alameda Creek watershed, is assessing the feasibility of restoring an historic steelhead run in Alameda Creek. Central to this effort is the preparation of proposal to the US Army Corps of Engineers for construction of a fish passage structure in lower Alameda Creek.

In partnership with Hagar Environmental Services, AMS produced an assessment of the watershed's ability to support a viable steelhead population that forms the basis for applications to the Corps and other funding entities to support restoration activities.

Additionally, AMS staff continue to facilitate workgroup meetings, coordinate follow-up activities, and assist the Flood Control District with long-term planning for the Work Group.