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LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	02/24/2014
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2014-01
Referral Name:	State Legislation
Presenter:	Lara DeLaney	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

This item was referred to the Legislation Committee by Supervisor Gioia on 2/11/14.

Referral Update:

Contra Costa County has been contacted by the Water Trail Planner at the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail. The Water Trail is a nine-county, growing network of launching and landing sites for non-motorized small boat users to safely enjoy the historic, scenic, and environmental richness of San Francisco Bay (http://sfbaywatertrail.org/). The Water Trail is a relatively new regional trail to join the Bay Area. ABAG is seeking resolutions of support from counties and shoreline cities endorsing the Water Trail concept.

In Contra Costa County there are 16 potential sites and one designated site in Contra Costa County (sites join the Water Trail through a designation process; ABAG currently has six designated sites).

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail (Water Trail) is a growing network of launching and landing sites that allow people in non-motorized small boats (NMSBs) to safely enjoy the natural, historic, cultural, and scenic richness of San Francisco Bay through single and multiple-day trips on the Bay. This regional trail has the potential to enhance Bay Area communities’ connections to the Bay and create new linkages to existing shoreline open spaces and other regional trails.

The Water Trail was created by the California legislature with the passage of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Act (AB 1296, Hancock) in 2005 based upon the vision of the non-profit Bay Access, Inc. The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), in coordination with other agencies and organizations, prepared the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail Plan in 2007. The California State Coastal Conservancy (Conservancy) certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and adopted the Enhanced Water Trail Plan in 2011.

The Water Trail Act designated the Coastal Conservancy as the lead for implementation of the Water Trail. The governance structure for the Water Trail Plan is a collaborative partnership between the Conservancy, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), BCDC, and California Department of Boating and Waterways (Cal Boating). These four organizations make up the Project Management Team (PMT) and have decision-making authority. The Advisory Committee (AC) represents different stakeholder interests and provides guidance and expertise to the PMT on trail designation and other implementation issues.

For more information about the Water Trail, please contact:

Galli Basson
Water Trail Planner
San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail
Association of Bay Area Governments
(510) 464-7936
101 Eighth Street
Oakland, CA 94607
http://www.sfbaywatertrail.org/

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

RECOMMEND support of the Resolution to the Board of Supervisors.

Attachments
Sample Resolution