7/1/2008
ROSEVILLE – Placer Land Trust is pleased to announce that it has permanently preserved 26 acres on Miner’s Ravine at Sierra College Road in Roseville, providing multiple public benefits for current and future generations.
The Trust accepted a conservation and flood control easement from the Placer County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The easement permanently protects the Miner’s Ravine site, and guarantees that the site will always be used for flood control, wetland habitat, and public recreation.
“This has been a project long in coming, and we’re glad to do our part to make sure this property provides flood control and other public benefits for years to come,” said Placer Land Trust Executive Director Jeff Darlington.
The Miner’s Ravine flood control project is designed to take the pressure off of the stream channel during periods of high flooding. Roseville and other downstream communities will benefit from increased flood protection. Earthen berm walls channel up to 160 acre feet of flood waters into the basin, where it is held until the peak flows are over.
The flood control project was deemed necessary due to the continued development in Placer County. More development means more concrete and pavement, faster-moving waterways, and less permeable soil to disperse flood waters. Consequently, development mitigation fees funded most of the Miner’s Ravine project, with agency grants supplementing the project.
Flood control isn’t the only benefit of the Miner’s Ravine project. When the basin isn’t holding back flood waters, it will function as a natural wetlands and scenic open space. Placer Land Trust and others are helping to restore natural vegetation and function to the stream, making it more attractive for spawning salmon. The Trust’s easement also protects the property as a place for public recreation. The property contains a small parking lot with a paved bicycle trail hooking up with the 27-mile Roseville Bikeway. Interpretive signs on the property give visitors an understanding of how flood control and land conservation can work together.
Placer Land Trust is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1991 and dedicated to working with willing landowners and conservation partners to permanently preserve natural and agricultural lands in Placer County. To date the Trust has preserved 4,654 acres across Placer County for current and future generations. For more information about volunteering for Placer Land Trust, call (530) 887-9222.
