Countywide : Conservancy OKs River Study Grant

The California Coastal Conservancy on Friday approved a $200,000 grant to help fund a study to improve and preserve the Santa Clara River.

The 100-mile waterway, which stretches from Aqua Dulce to Oxnard, is one of the last in Southern California largely untouched by development. While other major rivers are extensively concrete-lined, only 6% of the Santa Clara River is shored up with man-made materials.

The river also provides a habitat for several endangered bird species, including the California least tern. The study will look at ways to avoid degrading those habitats, and in some areas to restore them, according to the conservancy’s staff report.

It also will consider the creation of a joint-power river management authority so that protection efforts are not made in a piecemeal fashion, the report says. Half of the funds will go to the Ventura County Flood Control District, which is participating in the study as part of a joint project involving local, state and federal agencies.

Other Ventura County agencies and cities along the river, including Fillmore, Santa Paula and Ventura, are also interested in participating, but they still must make formal decisions on how much money and staff time they are willing to contribute. The total cost of the study is projected at $710,000, officials said.