SANTA CRUZ >> Roughly 100 people turned out for the first State of the San Lorenzo River symposium at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on Saturday.

The one day event brought a consortium of experts to speak to community members about the decline in water flow, the decline in fish in the river and how officials are managing the water flow as the city and state enter a fourth year of drought.

“The goal is really to bring up the scientific literacy of the community as Santa Cruz faces incredible challenges with the water supply,” said Chris Berry, watershed compliance manager for the city.

The river contributes from 50 to 100 percent of the city’s water supply, depending on the flow, Perry said. But the watershed is about 5 percent of normal flow right now, Perry said.

With rainfall less than normal for the year, Santa Cruz may see water restrictions imposed after the city’s Water Commission recommended the city reinstitute a Stage 3 Water Shortage Emergency.

The issue is expected to go before the City Council on Tuesday for potential final approval.

Given the concern mounting on the water supply, Berry said people would likely ask about the environmental policy on the local and state level. But the symposium focused on emphasizing the history and science of the watershed. He also added that as many problems as there are now, progress has been made in watershed management for decades.

“As much as there are a lot of things that have to be fixed, there has been a lot of work in trying to bring the watershed back,” Berry said.

As if to emphasize the point, John Laird, state Secretary for Natural Resources and symposium keynote speaker, told the crowd that $600 million was invested in the last decade to restore watersheds.

Within the state’s plan of action to address the water issues is recapturing stormwater, storage and wetland restoration. While many in the state are concerned with the water needs of people, Laird emphasized that people should focus on the environment. Without habitat and fish, water quality won’t be sustainable, he said.

Locally, the challenges include the sediment buildup in the river from the rural roads, the repair of the corridors along the stream channels and instream flow, Berry said.

In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1, a water bond that puts $7.545 billion toward water supply infrastructure projects.

Given Santa Cruz’s track record of imposing water rationing, the city could be poised to compete for some of the money, Berry said.