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Sustainability and City History
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Creeks, Lakes & Rivers
The City of Citrus Heights has 26-miles of creeks; specifically, Arcade, Brooktree, Coyle, Cripple, Mariposa, and San Juan creeks. These creeks deliver water to Arcade Creek and then directly to the Sacramento River and ultimately into the ocean. Because runoff reaches our creeks, lakes, and rivers, in most cases without being treated first, it is important to keep storm drains free of pollutants. The video below demonstrates how pollutants travel from residential neighborhoods directly into our waterways.
The porous and varied terrain of natural landscapes like forests, wetlands and grasslands trap rainwater and snowmelt so the water can slowly filter into the ground. In contrast, nonporous urban landscapes like roads, parking lots and buildings prevent water from slowly absorbing into the ground. Instead, water remains above the surface, accumulates and runs off in large amounts. In cities, storm drain systems carry this runoff from nonporous surfaces into local streams and creeks.
Natural floodplains provide flood risk reduction benefits by slowing runoff and storing stormwater. They also provide other benefits of considerable economic, social, and environmental value that are often overlooked when local land-use decisions are made. Floodplains frequently contain riparian zones and other important ecological areas which directly affect the quality of life for our residents. See the Green Guide, published by the Association of State Floodplain Managers, for more information on the benefits of natural systems and the history of floodplain development.
Although the City of Citrus Heights is mostly built-out, natural and biological resources remain within the City's boundaries. These corridors have been designated as flood and/or natural areas that are developmentally restricted, as an environmental resource. Having development restrictions near creeks and flood zones could be considered a hinderance to development but they serve a greater public interest.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Maps
National Wetlands Inventory www.fws.gov/wetlands/Data/Mapper.html
Critical Habitat http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov/crithab/
When water enters storm drains, it carries pollutants such as sediment, oil, and pesticides with it. As a result of increased development, the number of pollutants has also increased. In Citrus Heights, our runoff flows from storm drains directly into creeks without any treatment. Increased pollutant loads can harm fish and wildlife populations, kill native vegetation, impact drinking water supplies, and make recreational areas less desirable.
Citrus Heights needs your help to prevent pollution from the source. Do your part to keep waterways clean by following the tips listed on Be River Friendly webpage.
In Our Community, you can….
- Pick up and properly dispose of trash you see on the street or sidewalk.
- Get involved in events with Citrus Heights Cares Chip-In, join local volunteer programs and area community groups, or host your own clean up event with family, friends, and neighbors!
- Reduce automobile use by car-pooling, riding the bus, riding your bike or walking.
- Wash your car at commercial car washes that recycle their wash water.
- Support businesses in your community who offer or use eco-friendly services and practice pollution prevention.
- Encourage others to reduce, reuse and recycle whenever they can.
- When walking your dog, take a plastic bag and properly dispose of pet waste.
- Use best management practices for pest management around your home, gardens and landscaped areas.
The City of Citrus Heights is committed to environmental sustainability. As part of that commitment, the city requires low-impact development (LID) projects. As more land is being converted into impervious surfaces, it is important to consider the effects of construction and land development on water resources. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the effects of urbanization on water resources include: degraded habitat, erosion within channels, impaired aquatic life, high pollutant loads, depleted groundwater and increased occurrences of flooding, among others. In order to minimize the effects of development and redevelopment, it is important to implement LID principles in new construction and redevelopment projects. For City specific drainage design and LID requirements, see our STORMWATER ENGINEERING RESOURCES & REFERENCES page.
The City has incorporated Low Impact Development (LID) features in 3 demonstration projects: the Citrus Heights Children and Youth Center (7836 Sayonara Drive), the Sylvan Community Center (7521 Community Drive), and the Citrus Heights Police Department Green Parking Lot Demonstration Project (6315 Fountain Square Drive).
The Citrus Heights Children and Youth Center (pictured below right) was constructed to house the Sayonara After-School Program, a program that serves over 100 at-risk children and their families daily. The Sylvan Cen
ter was built as a low-cost alternative for community members to rent for meetings and events.
The Green Parking Lot Demonstration and Monitoring Project was constructed in 2013. Funded in part by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the project included the installation of LID features including 900 lineal feet of bio-swales, 2 rain gardens, and approximately one acre of pervious pavement. In addition, the city performed monitoring of the water runoff at the project site to determine the effect of the implementation of LID features on water quality and the results were very positive. Information from this demonstration project provided information for similar projects throughout California.
The 3 community centers include LID concepts such as permeable asphalt, rain gardens, bio-swales and infiltration planters. In addition, the demonstration sites have educational signage to describe each of the techniques employed. For more information about LID, visit STORMWATER ENGINEERING RESOURCES & REFERENCES page
Historically, the Sacramento region has experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall and from flows within the many creeks within our jurisdiction. Flooding can be due to failure of a flood control system, overwhelming rainfall, rapid snow melt, or localized thunderstorms. Because of the risk of flooding in the Sacramento Region, it is important to take necessary steps to safeguard your family and property. In the past 50 years, major flooding occurred in 1964, 1969, 1972, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005, and 2012. Reminder, the City was incorporated in 1997 before then we were a community within Sacramento County jurisdiction.
1995
In 1995, heavy rains hit the Sacramento region causing widespread localized flooding, in particular in the Arcade and Cripple Creek.
2005
Heavy rains in early 2005 caused many local drainage systems to be overwhelmed and filled the creeks above their banks.
2012 In December 2012, three storms in less than one week dropped approximately 4.75” of rain on the Sacramento region. During the early morning hours of December 2, 2012, rain fell at a rate of more than 1 inch per hour, causing creeks to overflow their banks, trees to topple, and localized flooding. With creeks already full from the two previous storms, the rapid surge of water overwhelmed the city's drainage system and resulted in serious flooding. These storms highlight the importance of preparing for a storm ahead of time, even if you are not in an area that regularly floods.