Petaluma River dredging still lacks funding

The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to complete a study of the project in 18 months.|

As silt continues to choke the river that runs through Petaluma, irking waterway advocates and mounting economic losses for businesses, officials Monday said a long delayed dredging project on the tidal slough would not happen for at least another 18 months.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently undergoing a series of studies to gauge the amount of buildup in the channel, which has not been fully dredged since 2003, while identifying costs and other tests. The Corps of Engineers is supposed to keep several area waterways clear using federal dollars, but efforts have lapsed because of limited funding and competing priorities.

At low tide, the silted Petaluma River is impassable in places, impacting commercial shippers and recreational boaters on the 14-mile waterway.

The $600,000 study is expected to get the project to a shovel-ready stage by June 2019, but securing the millions of dollars of funding necessary to complete the work remains a major hurdle, said project manager James Jody Boyette.

“It will get us to where we’re able to execute a dredging episode when we’re done,” Boyette said. “Meaning, we’ve done the study as far as sediment testing, gone out with surveyors, done volume testing to know where we’re at and we’re able get the number and things together … so we can get that rolled into a contract to be put out for soliciting.”

Officials, including Mayor David Glass, were optimistic about the project’s time line, but stressed there’s still much to hammer out, including an exact price tag. Years-old estimates showed that at least $7 million in federal funding are needed, as well as at least $2 million in city funding for hauling materials to Shollenberger Park for temporary storage.

The cash-strapped city doesn’t have a funding source identified, and officials with the Corps of Engineers weren’t certain federal dollars will be allocated. Officials are hopeful that Measure AA, a parcel tax that will raise an estimated $25 million annually for bay enhancement and habitat restoration, could be tapped to move the dried out sediments from Shollenberger Park to yet-to-be-identified offloading site.

The city hopes to use dredge spoils for habitat restoration, a scheme that’s already been used to take material from Richmond harbor to Cullinan Ranch on Highway 37.

“The need is huge, everyone recognizes the need – I’m seeing finally a blueprint of a game plan rather than just throwing your hands up in the air and going ‘I don’t know how we’re going to deal with this,’” Glass said at a Monday city council workshop. “Now, at least we know how we could deal with it. We’ve got a plan.”

Silt has built up for 14 years while the cost of dredging has increased from about a $1 a cubic yard to between $25 and $30 a cubic yard, Public Works Manager Dan St. John said.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t think this is important,” Vice Mayor Teresa Barrett said. “We’re so behind the ball on this. This could have been done years ago and should have been done years ago. A key question here is not only how much it costs, but also where does that money come from. It’s not going to come from anywhere unless we raise the revenue … that’s code for taxes.”

While decision makers will be tasked with pinning down funding in the upcoming budget, St. John said the city is doing what it can to be prepared.

“It’s very difficult to raise money locally for these sorts of public services, that’s a huge challenge,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can to move things around and save costs in one place so we might have some money to spend somewhere else.”

Petaluma’s channels, which don’t see as much boat traffic as higher-profile areas like the Port of Oakland, aren’t as attractive for funding, St. John said. In the longer term, the city is working toward establishing an unprecedented regional partnership with the Sonoma County Water Agency, Marin County, the city of San Rafael and the Napa Flood Control district to dredge a series of overlooked channels across the North Bay with the Corps of Engineers. The new approach would cut overall expenditures by having dredging crews embark on a single regional project, he said.

Much of the logistics are still in the works, including Petaluma’s financial contribution and a time line for establishing the coalition. Such a partnership could allow for more routine dredging, likely on a five-year cycle, St. John said.

Dredging is needed to protect from flooding while allowing for more robust river traffic. The Petaluma Yacht Club, a 32-year-old nonprofit in the Turning Basin, canceled its major Memorial Day fundraiser this year because waters were impassable. That amounted to as much as $5,000 in losses, while the club has seen a 35 percent reduction in its already meager budget since the muddied river has turned away boaters, Commodore McKenzie Smith said.

“We don’t know how to make up for it or what the future holds,” Smith said, adding that he was optimistic after hearing the progress update at Monday’s workshop.

Though the city’s economic development manager said there’s no figure for losses to the city as a result of silt in the river, Smith estimated that river traffic brings in $1.2 million annually to area businesses. The city’s marina has also seen a 40 percent dip in its moorage, St. John said.

Onita Pelliginri, CEO of Petaluma’s Chamber of Commerce, said a nearly two-decade old survey showed that each boat spends about $500 a weekend at local business. The waterway is also used by many recreational clubs.

“Petaluma is one of the very few places were boats can come in and be in the middle of town,” she said. “They can get off the boat and choose a restaurant, get a cup of coffee and go shopping, all sorts of stuff. The loss from that – how much – is hard to put your finger on.”

Despite much uncertainty, St. John said he’s grateful for the support of the Corps of Engineers and regional partners, including Rep. Jared Huffman and Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who have advocated for the project.

“(Huffman) wanted to reiterate his support for the dredging project, in particular the private-public partnership effort taking place and if there’s any help that he can provide he would like to offer that help through his office in any way possible,” spokesman Blake Hooper said.

(Contact Hannah Beausang at hannah.beausang@arguscourier.com.)

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.