LAKEPORT >> A proposal studying how to leverage resources to keep Clear Lake clean under a contracting agreement went before the Board of Supervisors, sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District on January 9.
A survey aims to gauge public opinion regarding a water quality outreach agreement with SCI Consulting Group in an assessment of an amount not to exceed $100,000 and authorizing Water Resources director to sign the agreement.
SCI Consulting Group helps public agencies with the adoption of revenue measures to obtain comprehensive funding for operations and maintenance, and capital improvements. It has a history establishing new or updated financing programs for public agencies. SCI will prepare new fee programs and rates that meet requirements of law yet assist with implementation, internal review, stakeholder outreach, through adoption by a governing body. SCI Consulting Group’s primary area of expertise is the administration of assessments, fees and special taxes for public agencies.
Narrating, Angela DePalma-Dow, Lake County Water Resources Department Invasive Species Coordinator, offered a slide show, funded by the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, supplemented by SCI consultants Jon Bliss and Melanie Lee on Zoom. “Normally, we just do a contract and it goes through the Consent Agenda,” said DePalma-Dow. “Reason for this is (to) bring to directors’ attention how we’ll leverage the funds for this project to do a benefit funds assessment for the Water Protection District.”
She went on to state that they are gaging public perception, attitude and knowledge of water quality in Clear Lake and plan to use data to conduct an evaluation to see if there is a desire to impose a Benefit’s Fund Assessment for the Water Protection District, which creates a sustainable funding source, for water quality projects for the whole county for all water resources within county boundaries. The goal is to examine perceptions and to acknowledge gaps the public has toward water quality related issues for current moment.
“There was a survey in the 90s, looking a tourism-based attitudes, but we haven’t had one specific for water quality and this will be important, so we can identify potential behavioral changes that could improve water or storm water quality,” DePalma-Dow said. We also want to look at how we can increase citizen engagement.”
She cited illegal dumping, prompting stream cleanups yet sometimes get poor volunteer turnouts and it is important as a lake manager, when imposing policy or recommending changes, that watershed managers have information on public attitude of what they may support for these types of efforts. “It’s also important for the Blue Ribbon Committee projects,” she said. “They’re funding millions of dollars of research, so this provides data so, those awarding entities target their outreach and education based on their awarded projects.”
Furthermore, there is dividends in revealing what is out in the public domain so agencies can craft information in the most potable way and make recommendations for future water projects that truly align with what the public hears or knows or does not know about, DePalma-Dow pointed out. “We’re leveraging projects to identify the type of priority projects that the public would support a fee assessment for.” she said. “The question is, what in exchange for an assessment or fee and what is what we need to do for water quality improvement?”
The plan is to use survey findings to assemble a potential district fee assessment if the survey comes out favorably. And residents could respond, ‘yes I’ll pay a little more money,’ if it means we can have filters for trash on storm drain outlets, messaging on trash cans, ‘No more littering,’ and really important, look at all the structures implemented in 10 years and use the same survey again and hopefully there will be improvement, DePalma-Dow pointed out.
They want to make sure they are targeting outreach to the right areas with the right message. Especially here in Clear Lake and Puttah Creek (tributary to the Yolo Bypass) and Salina Creek. Storm Water goes directly to those water bodies, it does not go to a treatment plant noted DePalma-Dow. The public can gain a better understanding when they ask the appropriate question she explained … what activities am I doing … where is this trash going … where is this motor oil going? And this a good way to figure out and target that.
And going forward, turn the survey over to CSI Consulting. “They’ll talk about the next potential steps,” DePalma-Dow said. If the survey winds up with an evaluation is favorable to the public, residents may say, we think a funds assessment is reasonable for these specific things.”
Appearing by Zoom, John Bliss, president of SCI, along with his colleague Melanie Lee. Bliss said what DePalma-Dow was presenting was a survey focus group, what do people know, what do they want, what are their preferences and priorities. “But Angela asked me if it lines up, we can see that Lake County residents and property owners are interested in investing in a dedicated long-term funding source in support of water quality,” he said. “And the step were talking about today will do that. What will it look like to go forward, where we keep our eyes on the prize? The prize is to have sustainable funding long term that can be planned, be sufficient to really move the needle in terms of water quality in Lake County.”
DePalma-Dow explained the presentation was not just a response to obtain a Benefit Fund Assessment specifically. “It’s also to identify if there’s an option to have that sustainable funding source, but it was not outlined in the amount provided by the Blue Ribbon Committee. “But they were OK with us leveraging it, throwing in some of our own,” she said. District 4 Supervisor Michael Green asked Bliss if they could fine tune their immense inquiry into an actionable survey now?
“That’s our mission but we don’t know yet.” he said. “We dug a lot of work: flood controls, drainage, storm water maintenance but most focused on ground water.” The Watershed Protection District voted unanimously to sign the letter of agreement.
