Murkiness surrounds levee breach near Sonoma-Marin border

The failure of a pair of levees, one broken and one breached, could jeopardize protected birds and marshlands near the Sonoma-Marin county line, and two government agencies are in disagreement over which is in charge of making and paying for repairs.

Officials with the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife each said Tuesday that the levee along the Petaluma River was located on the other agency’s land. The agencies own adjacent properties in an area across Highway 101 from Olompali State Historic Park.

Despite the conflicting statements, officials with both agencies agreed they will collaborate on how to fix the problem.

“The levee was in their part of the property, so we feel that they need to get it fixed; that is on them,” Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan said. “But we’re working with them closely.”

SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian, however, said the levee “is not on SMART property,” and added he was under the impression during a Monday meeting with Fish and Wildlife department director Chuck Bonham that the levee’s location on state property was “not in dispute.”

Bonham could not be reached Tuesday.

“From my point of view, it’s two government agencies working together on finding solutions,” Mansourian said.

The levees are either near or part of SMART’s Mira Monte Marina wetlands restoration project. The $1.9 million environmental restoration project will repair and create new wetlands where San Antonio Creek joins the Petaluma River just east of Highway 101 and south of the Redwood Landfill.

SMART in February completed the first phase of restoration efforts on the 56-acre parcel of marshland straddling the Sonoma-Marin county line, Mansourian said.

Whether the levee problems involve that previous work remains under investigation.

“There are people trying to connect the two together, and we don’t know that,” Mansourian said, referring to a possible relation between the restoration work and damaged levees.

About 10 days ago, it was discovered that one levee was breached and another damaged, allowing some saltwater to flood into the marsh habitat, according to both Mansourian and Hughan. Photographs provided by the state agency taken April 28 show large chunks of earth fallen from the levee and into pooling water.

Hughan said that during a recent strong high tide, water overflowed onto a road and filled a basin not intended to be “tidally influenced” that does not have a way of allowing the water to drain out. According to the state spokesman, the water is flowing onto Fish and Wildlife land that is adjacent to the SMART property.

The time it takes for the agencies to hammer out who is in charge and create a plan with scientists, engineers and lawyers is a critical factor because of the looming tidal rise of the San Pablo Bay expected in July that could further endanger sensitive wildlife and vegetation by changing the salt content of the water.

“It is not critical right now, but it needs to be fixed by July 4 because we’re expecting higher tides in July - tides are going to go up more than a foot,” Hughan said.

Any work done to repair the levees will have to take into account the limitations set by state and federal laws for this time of year that protect two kinds of birds, the California black rail and the clapper rail, Mansourian said.

You can reach Staff ?Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.