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Gallinas Watershed Council  watershed mapThe GWC was founded to support a WATERSHED APPROACH in Las Gallinas Valley in North San Rafael. A watershed approach means we need to address ALL watershed issues as if they are linked together.

Flood control is only one of these issues. A watershed approach addresses not just the flood zone homes included in FZ #7 which have been mapped by FEMA. It covers the entire community in our watershed working together – from the Gallinas Creek headwaters of Terra Linda down to the marshlands of Santa Venetia.

Las Gallinas Creek was forced into a concrete ditch in the 1950s when Terra Linda was constructed. A watershed approach also looks at supporting upstream residents with creek restoration while preserving safety. The ditch forces water off the land at high volumes, leaving the upper reaches even more susceptible to drought and fire and creating a safety hazard.

Increasing permeability of our upstream areas offers multiple benefits and is part of a watershed approach that looks at the entire landscape with a water-wise management lens.

Undergrounding utilities, restoring the upper stretch of Gallinas Creek, and creating a beautiful, walkable greenbelt corridor, reducing flooding and linking upstream headwaters with downstream marsh are all part of a cohesive plan.

The fruit of such an watershed approach should be able to provide benefits that spread over the entire community as well.

The GWC encourages LONG RANGE GOALS for water management which include fighting against sea level rise and the rising cost of flood insurance. Please support us!

Learn more:

Watershed Management Initiative
www.scbwmi.org/

Watershed Management Council
www.watersheds.org