1. San Francisco LTMS: Accomplisments
And New Challenges
SFBJV, March 29, 2011

2. The San Francisco Estuary Project’s CCMP
Origin of the LTMS
The San Francisco Estuary Project’s CCMP
Five Key Challenges Facing the Estuary:
Decline of biological resources (especially wetlands and related habitats)
Increased pollution
Freshwater diversions and altered flow regime
Intensified land use and population
Dredging and waterway modification
The San Francisco Bay LTMS
Implementing arm of the CCMP for Dredging and Waterway Modification

3. The LTMS Goals
Maintain…those channels necessary for navigation…and eliminate unnecessary dredging
Conduct dredged material disposal in the most environmentally sound manner
Maximize use of dredged material as a resource
Establish a cooperative permitting framework

4. Minimize In-Bay Disposal Maximize Beneficial Reuse
The LTMS Plan
Minimize In-Bay Disposal
Maximize Beneficial Reuse
Percent of all Disposal
After extensive studies and public involvement, the famous LTMS “ Plan” was born.
It called for a fundamental shift - away from looking at the Bay as a convenient, cheap waste dump for most dredged material
And toward realizing as much beneficial reuse of dredged material as possible, with a minimum of in-Bay disposal.
Plan

5. Step 2: 12-Year Transition Period Systematically Reduces
How To Get There
Step 2: 12-Year Transition Period Systematically Reduces
In-Bay Disposal
Initial: LTMS annual limit less than 1/2 previous limits
1/1/10: Annual limit reduced by another 1,135,500 cy
During the Transition Period, the annual target volume decreases further in four steps (one every 3 years) until the final target is reached.
As long as we stay on track with these step-downs, we will not have to impose rigid regulatory volume limits on individual projects.
But for this to happen, alternatives to in-Bay disposal have to be available and practicable for dredgers to use. The SF-DODS is available now, and even though it is much more expensive than in-Bay disposal, it is practicable for some users. What has to happen for us to be able to fully meet the decreasing targets over time, is that upland or wetland beneficial re-use sites must come on line, and be practicable for enough dredgers to use.
As you’ll hear more later today, much effort is going in to making this happen. But I’m here to tell you that it WON’T happen adequately, without an ongoing spirit of partnership and cooperation, and local support for funding to help make re-use practicable for as many dredgers as possible.
Long-term Goal

6. The LTMS Transition is On Track
How Are We Doing?
The LTMS Transition is On Track
In-Bay Disposal
Significantly reduced: disposal limits have been met every year
Mostly done successfully within Environmental Work Windows
Ocean Disposal
Successful low-impact alternative
Over 15 million cy diverted from in-Bay disposal to date
Beneficial Reuse
~20 million cy has already been reused
Current and near-term capacity for many millions cy more
Beach Nourishment
~1 million cy sand placed nearshore for Ocean Beach demo project
EPA/USACE preparing to designated official reuse site “SF-17”
Edit / update red text!

7. Major Bay Area Beneficial Reuse Sites
Montezuma Wetlands Project
Sonoma Baylands & Carneros River Ranch
Cullinan Ranch
Hamilton Army Airfield/BMK
Middle Harbor Habitat Area
Unlike before LTMS began, several major beneficial reuse projects have come into operation:
Sonoma Baylands
322 acres, reused over 2.5 million cy
Carneros River Ranch (agricultural reuse)
540 acres, reused 0.7 million cy to date, 2 million cy capacity for ongoing reuse
Middle Harbor Habitat Area (subtidal habitat, incl. eelgrass)
180 acres, reused 6 million cy
Montezuma Wetlands
1800 acres, capacity 12 million cy, has already reused over 3 million cy
Hamilton Wetlands
700+ acres, capacity over 8 million cy, will have reused over 3 million cy by the time the Oakland -50 foot Deepening Project is completed next year
BMK “Unit V” will expand Hamilton to 2,000+ acres, 25 million cy capacity
Ocean Beach
1+ million cy sand placed nearshore for beach nourishment
S. Bay Salt Ponds?
SF-8/Ocean Beach Nourishment Site
Bair Island
Major Bay Area Beneficial Reuse Sites

8. But Today We Face New Challenges that the LTMS Plan Did Not Foresee:
Short Term:
Escalating costs for:
Ocean disposal
Hydraulic offloading at reuse sites
Flat or decreasing dredging budgets
Long Term:
Sediment deficit (habitat erosion, Bay water quality)
Climate change – especially sea level rise – will accelerate habitat loss and other changes

9. The New World: Sediment Deficit
Changed Situation
The New World: Sediment Deficit
Point San Pablo, mid-depth, Dave Schoellhamer, USGS

10. Sediment Supply Shift: from the Delta to local tributaries
Changed Situation
Sediment Supply Shift: from the Delta to local tributaries
Where we used to see the Delta as our main source of sediment, we now will need to look to our local watersheds to supply the sediments to sustain our shorelines, beaches and marshes.
Oakland Museum Creek Guide

11. The New World: Sea Level Rise
Changed Situation
The New World: Sea Level Rise
Area subject to high tide with 16 inches of sea level rise
The 100 year storm: Areas at risk to 1/100 chance of flooding per year,
In 50 years the Bay’s 100 year storm will be high tide
55 inches of sea level rise and Current 100-year flood plain

12. Shorelines, Marshes and Beaches need sediment to keep up with sea level rise
Prbo study with PWA
PWA & PRBO in review

13. Sand mining removing sand
Sand appears slow to replenish
Patrick Barnard & Rikk Kvitek

14. Ocean Disposal Removes Sediment from the System

15. Is the LTMS Approach to Sediment Management too Narrow?
Minimizes in-Bay disposal
Emphasizes large-scale tidal wetland projects
Ocean disposal for remaining dredged material
Or Does It Need to be
Re-Framed?

16. How can LTMS help in this New World?
RSM planning: coordinate sediment sources and needs beyond navigation dredging?
Sand miners
Flood control districts
Watershed management
Less reliance on mega-projects?
New kinds of Beneficial Reuse, including in-Bay?
New policies/laws to facilitate reuse?
Your Ideas?
Coastal hazards

17. LTMS RSM
While still working under the LTMS Management Plan for dredging:
Funding local tributaries study
Funding sediment modeling (“UnTRIM” combined with “Sedmorph” and “SWAN”)
State of the Sediment Workshop 2010
Spring 2011 RSM Stakeholders Workshop
Stakeholder listening sessions
Work toward 2010 program review

18. Contact Information
Brian Ross (EPA):
Brenda Goeden (BCDC):
Al Paniccia (USACE):
Beth Christian (Water Board)