Santa Clara River Trail Final Master Plan - Development Services ...

Santa Clara River Trail Plan
much of the project site is located on elevated flood control structures generally protected from most
flood flows (City of Oxnard 2008).
The Oxnard Plain Basin, the largest underground water source in the region, has approximately
7,800,000 acre-feet of storage and is mostly confined (covered by an impermeable clay layer). The
confined nature of the basin means that in most areas of the basin rain water or surface water cannot
penetrate the surface of the ground to replenish or recharge the basin. The Oxnard Aquifer, which is a
part of the Oxnard Plain Basin, is currently being overdrafted at a rate of about 12,400 acre-feet per year,
and the overdraft has resulted in more than 22 square miles of the aquifer being intruded upon by
seawater. In the areas of salt water intrusion, the water is no longer suitable for domestic consumption or
agriculture. In addition to salt water intrusion, primary water quality concerns within the Oxnard
Planning Area also include increasing mineralization and chemical degradation of groundwater. Runoff
from agricultural uses degrades surface and groundwater quality via increased mineral concentrations,
nitrates, and high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS). Additional threats to surface and groundwater
quality include runoff from urban and industrial uses, improperly abandoned water wells and
underground storage tanks. The potential for groundwater contamination is higher in recharge areas
where the clay cap is absent. As of 2006, contaminants that significantly exceed threshold values within
the Oxnard Plain Basin include TDS, nitrate, iron, manganese, chloride and sulfate (Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California 2007).
LAND USE AND PLANNING
The proposed project is within the City of Oxnard and the County of Ventura on land zoned as open
space. The project area is located entirely outside of the Coastal Zone. The Santa Clara River falls within
the jurisdiction of the VCWPD, which operates and maintains the levee and flood control maintenance
road. The VCWPD also implements the Flood Plain Management Ordinance 3841 on behalf of the
County of Ventura to ensure compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program. This includes
permit review for structures built in the floodplain and evaluation of site plans for developments that
include identified floodplains. Additional agencies that may have interest in and permitting authority
over this site include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ventura Regional Sanitation District, California
Integrated Waste Management Board, Ventura County Local Enforcement Agency, Ventura Regional
Sanitation District, Regional Water Quality Protection Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Caltrans,
and the California Department of Fish and Game. The river
is not designated as a Wild and Scenic River by the United
States Forestry Service, National Park Service, United
States Fish and Wildlife or Bureau of Land Management.
In the City of Oxnard adjacent land uses to the project
include recreation; low density, low-medium density, and
high density residential; regional commercial, and a school
(City of Oxnard 2009). The City’s General Plan recognizes
the importance of bicycle and pedestrian facilities and
identifies the need for their additional development
throughout the City of Oxnard and the surrounding
communities within Ventura County. In response, the City
The proximity of trains and roads, the
primary noise generators in the vicinity
of the project, can degrade sensitive
habitats and recreation.
City of Oxnard | 9