Countywide watershed protection meeting, April 7

You are invited to a meeting to learn about San Mateo County’s watersheds and to participate in the development of recommendations to protect and enhance watersheds, including a potential ordinance.

San Mateo County Hall of Justice
Monday, April 7, 7:00 p.m.
Board of Supervisors Chambers
400 County Center, Redwood City

County staff will present information about San Mateo County’s 34 watersheds, threats to the watersheds, current and anticipated regulations and potential actions to enhance watershed protection.

Following the presentation, members of the public are encouraged to comment and make recommendations.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in December 2007 directed staff to engage the public with a series of workshops. Following these meetings in Spring 2008, staff will present public comments and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors at a public meeting.

To facilitate the outreach process, staff will present concepts that:

 

• Focus on activities such as grading on hillsides with slopes over 10 percent and in areas near streams.

 

• Apply existing County requirements, like the Local Coastal Program riparian policies, to all unincorporated areas to ensure consistency and reduce unnecessary new or duplicating requirements on property owners.

 

• Use a simple permit system that addresses environmental concerns but still allows most activities.

 

• Use a fair and reasonable approach for existing development on slopes and near hillsides, such as grandfathering in structures and activities that exist at the time the regulation is adopted.

 

• Allow reasonable exemptions for matters like routine maintenance, existing agricultural work outside riparian areas, or those activities that are already subject to comparable state, federal or local permit conditions.

For more information, please visit www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/OurWatersheds or call the County Manager’s Office at (650) 363-4123. The site also provides the opportunity for members of the public to comment and to view comments from previous meetings.

Please note that visitors to the Hall of Justice are required to pass through airport-style security.