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To mitigate the effects of the reservoirs on the creek habitat, Marin Municipal Water District is implementing a comprehensive, long – term effort of actions to be taken in order to enhance the habitat of the creek for the benefit of coho, steelhead, and shrimp over a ten year period. In 2011, MMWD completed a new watershed stewardship plan to guide its course of action into the future. Please click on the  Lagunitas Creek Stewardship Plan to view the document.

Large Woody Debris (LWD) left in the streams include a multitude of benefits to the overall health of a watershed. LWD include trees, rootwads, logs, large branches which enable the following;

  • Contributes organic nutrient input for benthic macroinvertebrates (mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies) which in turn feed the fish
  • Creates deep, cool-temperature scour pools that act as fish refuge during high flows in the winter and low flows in the summer
  • Adds overall complexity to the system
  • Interfaces and dissipates velocity of flows during peak rain events which creates refugia and slows the flow enough to allow spawning gravels to deposit upstream of the wood structure(s)
  • Provides refuge from predation
  • Catches salmon carcasses that will provide nutrients to the floodplains for enriched riparian growth
  • Click HERE to learn more, ‘Maintaining Wood in Streams: A Vital Action for Fish Conservation’!

MMWD has a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Marin, Marin County Open Space District, CA Department of Parks and Recreation, National Park Service and Marin RCD for leaving woody debris in riparian areas of the Lagunitas Creek Watershed which can be viewed HERE. To watch an informational video on LWD for habitat purposes, see below! 

 

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Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (MCSTOPPP) has a created a multitude of resources to help guide landowners in how to steward their lands and watersheds. Please select any of the following documents to learn more;

Additional Guidance Materials