Corte Madera Creek Watershed Infiltration and Storage Assessment

Abstract:

This project would develop an inventory of impervious surfaces, identify areas with suitable soil depth and characteristics to make increased infiltration a feasible alternative, and develop stategies and demonstration projects to replace impervious surfaces with pervious. This project would at the same time investigate the feasibility of diverting runoff into on-site temporary storage facilities (swales, sumps, cisterns, detention basins, temporarily flooded park lands) from which it could be released after the peak flow has occurred or stored for irrigation in dry summer months. The project would determine the physical and cost-benefit feasibilty of achieving flood management and water conservation objectives with a combination of infiltration and detention strategies. The demonstrated feasibility of reducing flood damage using these strategies would elevate the credibility of watershed-wide approaches, as a complement and alternative to traditional engineered flood control channel infrastructure improvements.

Purpose: Flooding is a major problem in the Corte Madera Creek watershed, and a major contributing factor is the amount of impervious surfaces. This project would provide a means to reduce flooding and increase infiltration. This improve water quality by reducing erosion and sewage spills that degrade water quality during floods, and would reduce damage to communites in the wateshed. An indirect benefit of infiltration would be a higher water table and enhanced streamflow in the summer, benefiting rearing habitat for salmonids, riparian and aquatic habitats, and water quality. Use of stormwater for irrigation could be an imporant means of water conservation

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