SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION! to provide the best environment for the production, collection, and storage of the highestquality water for the City and County of San Francisco and suburban customers;! to develop, implement, and monitor a resource management program which addresses allWatershed activities; and! to apply best management practices for the protection of water and natural resources andtheir conservation, enhancement, restoration, and maintenance while balancing financialcosts and benefits.In response to this mission statement, and because existing SFPUC policies do not address themanagement of Watershed lands in a comprehensive or integrated manner, the AlamedaWatershed Management Plan (Management Plan) has been prepared.The purpose of the Management Plan is to provide a policy framework for the SFPUC to makeconsistent decisions about the activities, practices, and procedures that are appropriate on theWatershed lands. To aid the SFPUC in their decision-making, the Management Plan provides acomprehensive set of goals, policies, and management actions that address all Watershedactivities and reflect the unique qualities of the Watershed.In addition to serving as a long-term regulatory framework for decision-making by the SFPUC,the Management Plan is also intended to be used as a Watershed management implementationguide by the SFPUC’s Land and Resource Management Section (LRMS) staff. The ManagementPlan provides the LRMS manager and staff with management actions designed to implement theestablished goals and policies for water quality, water supply, ecological and cultural resourceprotection, fire safety management, Watershed activities, public awareness, and financialmanagement. The Management Plan also enables LRMS staff to address and plan for futuremanagement issues such as fire management, erosion control, public access, security,development encroachment, construction and maintenance of utility facilities, and ecologicalresource management. Although the Management Plan intends to provide realistic policies andactions, it may be that due to funding realities or changed circumstances, some actions may not beimplemented or may be implemented at a later phase. In such cases the status quo would prevail.The Management Plan stresses long-term balanced management of the Watershed and looksbeyond the immediate desires of the present generation to the needs of future generations.Paramount to maintaining high quality water and protecting water supplies in the long term iscontrol over Watershed activities and preservation of Watershed resources. Furthermore, theManagement Plan recognizes that to be effective, Watershed management must treat all of theWatershed’s natural and manmade resources—vegetation, wildlife, soils, streams, and culturalresources—as an integrated whole of interdependent parts. Integrated management ensures thatmaintenance of high quality water is the primary long-term function of the Watershed.2.0 LOCATION AND STUDY AREAThe Alameda Watershed is located in the East Bay, 30 miles southeast of the City and County ofSan Francisco (see Figure II-1). The entire hydrologic Watershed, referred to as the greaterNOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan II-2 ESA / 930385January 2001