September 2020 Project Spotlight: Marin County Flood Control District

One of CCNB’s longest-standing partnerships is with the Marin County Flood Control District. In fact, a significant driver of our initial growth was our response to the infamous heavy flooding in San Anselmo in 1982[AP1]. In the time since then, the partnership has expanded to encompass annual projects across all eight of the county’s Flood Control Zones. In the past year alone, this work reduced the risk of flooding along 21 miles of urban creeks and streams.

This summer, CCNB has 2-3 crews working each day on Flood Control projects spread across the county. It might seem odd, but summer is actually our busiest season for creek projects. Why? Because low water levels in the summer make flood prevention project sites more accessible and reduce the impact on creek ecosystems. During these projects, our corpsmembers provide selective vegetation removal and invasive species control that prevents water from backing up when the heavy winter rains come. Of course, we also respond to winter flood emergencies when the do occur!

Our corpsmembers benefit directly from this partnership by learning from Marin County Flood Control’s expert staff, learning not only the “how” of creek maintenance and flood mitigation but also why healthy creeks are so important to our whole ecosystem and community. One of our favorite features of this partnership is that many former corpsmembers and staff have gone on to work for the Flood Control District, benefitting our county and fulfilling the goals of our program.