Earlier this year, the County of Marin released a Public Review Draft of the Stream Conservation Area (SCA) Ordinance for the San Geronimo Valley. The SCA Ordinance would establish a riparian development buffer of 100 feet or more, establish permit review procedures and requirements to protect the active channel, water quality and flood control functions, and associated fish and wildlife habitat values along streams.

The release of the SCA Ordinance follows a contentious history dating back to 2007 when the last attempts to update the zoning resulted in a legal challenge by the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) that found the County needed to develop supplemental environmental impact analysis.

Terence Carroll, EAC Board Member, is our representative for the County working group. A successful SCA Ordinance should protect the health of streams and habitat for the endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout in the San Geronimo Valley that is consistent with riparian protection policies from the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan and best available science. We remain engaged and provide feedback to the County to protect our local streams and wildlife.

The ordinance is scheduled to go before the County’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in the coming months and must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. The SPAWN lawsuit in the California Court of Appeals is not settled and will undoubtedly impact the final outcomes of the SCA Ordinance.

* This article was also published in our Winter 2021 Print newsletter