Trinidad’s Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plan Succeeds in Water Quality Improvements

The City of Trinidad and its planning partners undertook an integrated coastal watershed planning effort that resulted in a prioritized plan to protect water quality in the Trinidad Bay Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS). The City is implementing multiple strategies to protect the Bay. The City recently completed implementation of two projects that improve water quality. The first is the Trinidad ASBS Stormwater Improvement Project which reduced discharge of urban runoff from the City of Trinidad to the ASBS by over 36%. The second is the Luffenholtz Creek Source Water Protection Project which reduced sediment loading through multiple forestland sediment reduction strategies located on private timberland. These projects prove a small community can accomplish a great deal to protect its watershed and water resources through dedicated planning.