Annual notices, outreach, and maintenance of safety features for this year is estimated to cost $70,000 and will be funded by Flood Control Zone 3B.
On March 1, 2011, the Board of Supervisors directed the FC District to develop a sustainable and impactful outreach program to promote creek and channel safety throughout the County, after the drowning of two high school students in the Walnut Creek channel. In response, the FC District formed a CCSAP team that developed a strategy to achieve this goal.
On October 4, 2011, the Board declared October 2011 as the first Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month, accepted the status report from the FC District on the Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program, approved the implementation plan, and directed the FC District to continue with implementation and initiation of an annual campaign of a sustainable Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program, including a follow-up report to the Board in one year.
Since then, the Board of Supervisors received a status report on the Annual Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program and declared October as Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month in the years 2012 through 2016. The Board of Supervisors also directed the FC District to continue with implementation and the annual campaign of a Countywide sustainable Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program, including a follow-up report to the Board in one year.
This past year, we refreshed the warning stencils and signs in our facilities, completed the annual outreach to schools in September, and worked with Walnut Creek Intermediate School to put on our second annual Creek and Channel Safety Week. The second annual safety week involved working with the leadership class to help develop and implement events for students that would raise student awareness of the “Stay Out, Stay Alive!” campaign. The highly successful program engaged hundreds of students in such activities as a poster competition, trivia contest, and demonstrations from Consolidated Fire Swiftwater Rescue personnel. This occurred the week of November 14, 2016, and it received positive local news coverage. As in the past, several student posters were laminated and placed in prominent locations in downtown Walnut Creek to communicate our safety message through the winter.
The Interim Chief Engineer, FC District, recommends that the Board declare October 2017 as Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Month, accept the above report, and direct the Public Works Department and FC District to continue with implementation and the annual campaign of a Countywide sustainable Creek and Channel Safety Awareness Program, including a follow-up report to this Board in one year.
If this Resolution is not adopted, members of the public may not receive important information about creek and channel safety.
The FC District will continue to work with the schools and youth-based groups within the County to educate children about safety regarding creeks and flood control channels.