Politics & Government

City Supports Creation of WC Watershed Council

City Council votes 4-1 to pursue collaboration among watershed municipalities; Council member Gary Skrel votes no.

The City Council Tuesday night voted 4-1 to support the establishment of a Walnut Creek Watershed Council.

The idea is to have a council with representatives of municipalities in the watershed of Walnut Creek and collaborate on clean water issues.

Council member Gary Skrel voted no. He called it a "great idea" but "I need a demonstration this is a good investment before I say yes." The staff estimate was a cost to the city of $10,000.

A watershed council has "huge value," said Mayor Bob Simmons. If a project is proposed and the council shows support from a series of municipal members, Simmons said, the united front would make grant requests more competitive.

The sharing of information among communities — for instance, projects that work in stream improvement — has already provided benefits, Simmons said. There have been informal meetings with representatives from the cities of Lafayette and Concord, said Heather Ballenger, city of Walnut Creek public services director.

There have been past attempts to form a Walnut Creek council. "This time I think we're really on the way," said Lesley Hunt of Friends of the Creeks, who addressed the council.

Hunt said stream improvements would benefit fish as stream infrastructure is replaced and refurbished in coming years and decades. She noted that a watershed council for Marsh Creek in eastern Contra Costa County succeeded in gaining a grant to build a fish ladder that wouldn't have come about without such a council.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here