Planting native shrubs in Hanns Park.
Mission
Our mission is to raise awareness, create local partnerships and promote sustainable management of Vallejo’s watersheds.
History
In 2005, a local fisherman approached the then Vallejo Sanitation & Flood Control District with a simple problem. He was concerned about the water quality in Lake Chabot, and hoped the District would help find solutions to the array of problems that beset urban lakes, primarily sediment, temperature and pollution.
The lake itself has complicated jurisdictions: it lies between Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and a large city park, serves Vallejo residents as a recreation area, was historically a secondary water source, and is an important stop for storm runoff from the west Cordelia hills.
District staff first organized a meeting of environmentally-minded residents and agency representatives from the Greater Vallejo Recreation District and the City of Vallejo to discuss the issue. In that meeting it became clear that there was a real lack of coordinated support for Vallejo residents who are concerned about water quality. There were no “Friends of …” groups, no Ecology Center, and the Solano Resource Conservation District, while effective, focused its efforts at that time on the eastern, agricultural side of the county. Attendees of the meeting had a wide range of interests as well; their concerns were wider than a single lake.
That was the genesis of the Vallejo Watershed Alliance. Since that first meeting, the group has grown, changed, and found new ways to serve the community.
The Alliance focuses its work on the Blue Rock Springs Creek corridor and Rindler Creek system, which feeds into Lake Chabot and from there flows out Chabot Creek to the Napa River.
Over time, our partners have grown to include the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (who provides key land management and maintenance assistance), the Solano Resource Conservation District (who now works often in our end of the county on grant-funded Alliance projects and is a critical restoration partner), the City of Vallejo, the California Native Plant Society, and many more. Vallejo Sanitation & Flood Control District provides staff coordination, funding for small projects, and free space for planning meetings.
Along with the array of experts available through volunteers and District staff, we also have a number of members who are greatly enthusiastic. The Alliance learns as it goes, and asks for help when needed. Alliance volunteers host Earth Day events at Lake Chabot, clean up creeks, and join with Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District’s city-wide Coastal Cleanup Day each September. Volunteers staff booths at local events like the San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival to attract more recruits.
Description
We are a group of interested residents who, along with representatives from local public agencies and non-profits, work together to protect and enhance Vallejo’s waterways. We encourage community participation in habitat enhancement projects, creek cleanups and planning processes. Our mission is to raise awareness, create local partnerships and promote sustainable management of Vallejo’s watersheds.
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