PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

Cullinan Ranch adjoins the northern shore of San Pablo Bay in Solano and Napa Counties in an area of the Napa River Delta historically defined by a network of meandering sloughs and tidal-marsh wetlands. It is a 1,500-acre parcel within San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (SPBNWR), which is bordered by South and Dutchman Sloughs on the north and State Route 37 on the south. The Cullinan Ranch Restoration Project (CRRP) encompasses the broader ecosystem restoration efforts at Cullinan Ranch. This CAP 204 Cullinan Ranch Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (CRBUDM) project comprises the eastern 300 acres (Cullinan Ranch East or Cullinan East) of the CRRP as well as the permitted locations for dredged sediment offloading operations along the Napa River and Dutchman Slough. 

Cullinan Ranch was created in the early 1900s by diking off Bayside wetlands. After diking, the site was drained, and used for agricultural purposes (oat and hay farming) up to 1991 when it was acquired by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to restore the area to tidal marsh habitat (approximately 1,500 acres) and manage the land as part of the SPBNWR.

            TOTAL FUNDING

            TOTAL COST                                                                             $   13,923,000

            FEDERAL COST                                                                         $   10,000,000

            NON-FEDERAL COST                                                               $     3,923,000

            TOTAL FEDERAL COST THROUGH FY 2022                         $        100,000

            FY 2023 BUDGET                                                                     $        850,000

            COST TO COMPLETE                                                               $     9,050,000

FY 22 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• The FID Phase was completed in Jun 2022.
• The PMP Phase was completed in Nov 2022.

FY23 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• The TSP Milestone Meeting is scheduled for Aug 2023.
• The Draft Report release is scheduled for Oct 2023.
• The Final Report is scheduled for Feb 2024.
• The Initiation of Design and Implementation Phase is scheduled for Spring 2024

ISSUES AND OTHER INFORMATION

• The California State Coastal Conservancy is the Non-Federal Sponsor (NFS).
• Ducks Unlimited is the Non-Federal Project Manager.
• Most dredging sites are not feasible sources due to the type of material being unsuitable for the Cullinan restoration project, the source not being annually dredged, or the source having expected competition. Only two sites meet the criteria of suitable dredged material, dredged annually, and no expected competition: Richmond Inner Harbor and Oakland Harbor.
• This project is expected to be covered under the regional EA/EIR.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST­

• 4^th District, Rep. Mike Thompson
• 8^th District, Rep. John Garamendi

POINT OF CONTACT

• Deputy for Project Management, (415) 503-6593

Updated on 14 February 2023