Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan
In 1995, Morro Bay was accepted into the National Estuary Program, which was established in 1987 by amendments to the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act requires each National Estuary Program to develop and implement a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The CCMP defines the priority issues facing the health of the Morro Bay estuary and watershed and presents action plans to effectively address those issues. The CCMP is the guiding document for the Estuary Program and was developed through the dedication and hard work of numerous community members and partners.
The Morro Bay Estuary
The Morro Bay National Estuary Program works to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and wildlife. The Estuary Program is a collaborative, non-regulatory, nonprofit organization that brings citizens, local governments, nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies, and landowners together to support a healthy environment and vibrant local communities.
The Morro Bay estuary is a 2,300-acre semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater flowing from the land mixes with the saltwater of the sea. The estuary environment encompasses the lower reaches of Chorro and Los Osos creeks, a wide range of wetlands, salt and freshwater marshes, intertidal mud flats, eelgrass beds, and other subtidal habitats. Morro Bay hosts one of the most significant and least disturbed wetland systems on the central and southern California coast.
Watershed Goals
Codifying strong, visionary goals for the CCMP will help the Estuary Program and its partners maintain focus on the long-term outcomes desired for the Morro Bay estuary and watershed. The goals listed below articulate a long-term vision for the four main areas of the Estuary Program.
Water Quality Protection & Enhancement
Water quality in the Morro Bay watershed and estuary supports diverse habitats and wildlife populations, recreation, clean drinking water, and well-balanced economic uses.
One of the main tenets of the NEP is to protect and restore water quality, as the NEP is part of the federal Clean Water Act. This goal illustrates the aspiration for clean water that supports a variety of uses by people and wildlife in Morro Bay.
Ecosystem Restoration & Conservation
The Morro Bay watershed and estuary sustain a resilient community with high habitat connectivity, ample biological integrity, proper ecosystem function, and a vibrant economy.
This goal illustrates the Estuary Program’s interest in conserving and restoring habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes, all of which affect the local economy. The goal also envisions a healthy ecosystem and economy even in the face of change.
Public Education, Outreach, & Stewardship
Citizens and visitors around Morro Bay understand basic estuary science and the impacts of specific actions on estuary health, and are engaged stewards of the Morro Bay estuary and watershed.
This goal represents the importance of informed and engaged citizens for the future health of Morro Bay and a vision that community members will increasingly becomes stewards of the estuary.
Fostering Collaboration
Local citizens, local government, nonprofits, state and federal agencies, and public and private landowners collaborate and leverage resources to facilitate effective management and increased scientific knowledge of the Morro Bay estuary and watershed.
Another core tenet of the NEP is collaboration, as described in the Clean Water Act. This goal showcases the Estuary Program’s commitment to fostering collaboration to effectively understand and manage the resources of Morro Bay.
Priority Issues & Focus Areas
The CCMP describes seven priority issues impacting the health of the Morro Bay estuary and watershed. These issues were identified through grassroots public participation, scientific study, and more than a decade of conservation and restoration experience. These are the seven priority issues and their primary focus areas and goals for the next five years:
Primary focus area: Upland Erosion Sources
• Goal: Address erosion problems in the upper watershed, including improvements to rural roads and fire management, and develop a better understanding of relative erosion from individual sub-watersheds to help prioritize upland implementation projects
Primary focus areas: Stormwater Management & Disposal of Waste in the Estuary
- Goal: Strengthen the collective understanding of the dynamics of stormwater as a mechanism for transporting bacteria and nutrients and implement best management practices and projects to address pollutant sources.
- Goal: Continue to support city efforts to maintain functioning and easily accessible pump-out facilities, encourage alternative pump-out options, and educate the boating public about proper waste disposal.
Primary focus areas: Stormwater Management & Disposal of Waste in the Estuary
- Goal: Strengthen the collective understanding of the dynamics of stormwater as a mechanism for transporting bacteria and nutrients and implement best management practices and projects to address pollutant sources.
- Goal: Continue to support city efforts to maintain functioning and easily accessible pump-out facilities, encourage alternative pump-out options, and educate the boating public about proper waste disposal.
Primary focus area: Marina and Boat-related Toxics
- Goal: Implement projects designed to reduce toxic inputs to the bay from marina and boating activities, such as: removal of abandoned vessels and illegal moorings, purchasing supplies for oil spill preparedness, and facilitating access to disposal facilities. Implement education and outreach activities to increase awareness among the boating public about proper disposal of hazardous waste and use of bay-friendly alternatives.
Primary focus area: Water Budgets & Water Conservation
- Goal: Participate in efforts to define water budgets for Chorro Creek and Los Osos Valley watersheds to better inform water conservation and freshwater flow management.
- Goal: Engage in outreach and education efforts concerning water conservation and support local agencies and partners in improving water conservation at a broader scale.
Primary focus area: Informing Effective Restoration
- Goal: Identify a network of interconnected lands to focus conservation efforts that provide critical habitat for sensitive species; high biodiversity patterns; essential ecosystem services and functions; and provide the greatest opportunity for biodiversity to adapt naturally in a changing and variable environment.
Primary focus area: Define Future Efforts
- Goal: Over the next five years, the Estuary Program will focus its efforts to address environmentally balanced uses on determining the key areas of concern under this priority issue and developing approaches to address those concerns.
The CCMP is Developed with a Five-Year Planning Horizon
The Estuary Program will direct its work toward a primary focus for each priority issue over the next five years. The Estuary Program will specify which action plans will be implemented to address each primary focus in its annual workplan. (The annual workplan is completed each spring and outlines the tasks to be undertaken the following year.) The focus areas are not meant to limit the Estuary Program or preclude work in other areas, but instead to provide strategic direction about what projects and partnerships to pursue.
FAQ
Most frequently asked questions and answers
The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan defines the priority issues facing the health of the Morro Bay estuary and watershed and presents action plans to effectively address those issues. The management plan is the guiding document for the Estuary Program.
In 1995, Morro Bay was accepted into the National Estuary Program, which was established in 1987 by amendments to the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act requires each National Estuary Program to develop and implement a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, or Management Plan. The primary purpose of the Management Plan is to identify problems (called “priority issues”) that threaten the ecological and economic resources of the estuary and watershed and to define various action plans to effectively reduce those problems.
Great progress was made in addressing the priority issues from the original Management Plan (which was completed in 2001 and revised in 2012). However, more work needs be done. Over the last decade, the understanding of some of these issues has increased through experience in the field, new research, and environmental monitoring, much of which has been supported by the Estuary Program and its partners. Improved approaches to addressing the priority issues and areas warranting further study have been identified. For the 2012 revision, new issues not recognized in the first Management Plan, notably the effects of climate change, needed attention. These developments drove the effort to revise the Management Plan and its action plans in 2012. In contrast, the 2022 update focused on assessing the action plans to determine which were complete and which were no longer relevant. Some action plans were updated, along with minor updates to the document to reflect the current status of efforts, partners, etc.
The 2022 Management Plan updated action plans in three different ways. Four action plans were eliminated because they are no longer relevant, either because they were completed or because of changes to partner missions. Eight action plans were combined into four action plans due to similar approaches and metrics. Six action plans had edits to reflect updated information. The remaining changes were minor ones to reflect the current status of efforts, partners, etc.
In 2011, the Estuary Program staff hosted three public meetings, four technical workshops, and one public comment period to solicit public input on suggested updates to the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The revised draft management plan was released for formal public comment in February 2012. Because the 2022 update was relatively minor in comparison, soliciting public input was not part of the process. The Estuary Program staff collaborated with its Management Committees, which include representatives from different interests and technical areas, to provide feedback on the process and on the updates.
Substantial progress has been made in addressing the priority issues originally identified in the 2001 Management Plan. Action has been implemented to reduce bacteria and nitrate loading, arrest sedimentation, and improve habitats. Although these issues remain priorities, there have been improvements through a number of effective actions, including floodplain restoration along Chorro Creek, riparian fencing to reduce bacteria inputs to creeks, and 5,000 acres of habitat protected and restored.
The Conservation and Management Plan was developed with a five-year planning horizon. Each year, the Estuary Program prepares an annual workplan that specifies tasks for the upcoming year. Tasks within each annual workplan will be set to address the most pressing issues facing the estuary as well as having the appropriate partners and sufficient funding in place to ensure success.
Partners are listed on action plans that are well aligned with the mission and goals of each partner organization. Each partner organization’s depth of involvement depends on the nature of projects being implemented, funding availability, and technical resources. Some partners work closely with the Estuary Program to secure joint funding to protect lands, complete restoration projects, or initiate outreach campaigns. Other partners provide in-kind or cash match or technical advice to assist with partners. Partners may also engage in projects within the watershed that are part of their own organization’s mandate (such as The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County developing easements on private property to protect and preserve land).
The primary focus areas presented in the beginning of Chapter 3 (“Maximizing Impact in the Next Five Years”) will be reviewed every five years. Also every five years, the rest of the document will be reviewed to determine if updates are needed. As the document underwent a large scale revision in 2012, another revision is expected in the next ten years.
Each action plan presents an implementation tracking measure that the Estuary Program will monitor to demonstrate progress over time. Additionally, the Estuary Program will track the measures presented in Chapter 3 for the primary focus areas under each priority issue. This information will be available to the public through periodic reports from the Estuary Program.
The Management Plan is available online at https://www.mbnep.org/library/#ccmp. You can also view a hard copy or request an electronic copy by contacting the Morro Bay National Estuary Program by phone (805-772-3834), email (staff@mbnep.org), or in person (601 Embarcadero, Suite 11 (upstairs), Morro Bay California 93442).
General questions about the Management Plan can be directed to Melodie Grubbs, Executive Director, at mgrubbs@mbnep.org or 805-772-3834, ext. 16. Requests for accessing the Management Plan in person can be made by contacting the Morro Bay National Estuary Program by phone (805-772-3834), email (staff@mbnep.org), or in person (601 Embarcadero, Suite 11 (upstairs), Morro Bay California 93442).