PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

The Napa-Sonoma Marsh Wildlife Area is located along the northern portion of the San Pablo Bay, approximately 45 miles north of San Francisco, California. The marsh originally comprised 25,000 acres, but agriculture and development have reduced it by 64%. In 1994, the Cargill Salt Company ceased production and sold over 9,800 acres of land in the project area to the State of California, managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The Napa Salt Marsh Restoration Project restores approximately 4,500 acres of the 9,800 acres Napa-Sonoma Marsh Wildlife Area. The restoration of Ponds 6, 6A, 7, 7A and 8 requires removing “bittern” (a byproduct of salt production) from Pond 7 and improving water circulation and the ability to manage water levels within the ponds to benefit shorebirds and waterfowl.

FY 22 and FY23 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Continued monitoring and adaptive management of site as required by project permits.

ISSUES AND OTHER INFORMATION

• The NFS has been advised they are out of cost share balance since June 2018 and NFS provided partial payment, withholding 10% of the total cost required to bring the cost share into balance.   
• The Non-Federal Sponsor (NFS) for Feasibility and Design was the California Coastal Conservancy. The NFS for Construction is the CDFW. The California Coastal Conservancy will continue to be involved as a project partner.
• The final Feasibility Report, completed in June 2004, recommended that seven of the twelve salt ponds—4, 5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A and 8—be restored to tidal and managed wetlands. The Chief’s report was signed in December 2004. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance was provided in December 2005.
• Design and construction of Ponds 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A and 8 are complete.
• The NSF constructed Ponds 4 and 5 and completed 90% design drawings, specifications, and estimates for Ponds 6-8.
• The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) 2007 authorized crediting the NFS for work completed on the approved project before a PPA is signed, as identified above.
• The Corps determined in-kind credit through an Integral Determination Report (IDR) that was approved in July 2010.
• The total project authorization in WRDA 2007 is $134,500,000 with an estimated Federal cost of $87,500,000 and an estimated non-Federal cost of $47,000,000. Also included in the authorization are non-policy compliant components to restore or enhance Salt Ponds 1, 1A, 2 and 3, and construction of a recycled-water pipeline extending from the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Pumping Plant and the Napa Sanitation District Waste Water Treatment Plant.
• USACE will continue its monitoring and adaptive management phase and will continue to engage with the NFS.  There was a site visit with USACE and the NFS in February 2021 to review project performance and the monitoring effort.  The NFS is concerned about portions of the project that were turned over, including a levee that was designed to fail eventually but eroded years earlier than anticipated and a water control structure that was intended to be automated but must be manually operated.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST

•   4^th District, Rep. Mike Thompson

POINT OF CONTACT

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

Updated on 14 February 2023

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