1 Attachment(s)
Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
River Friends:
On August 19, 2016, the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) will release the long awaited Fish Flow Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR). There will be a 60-day comment period (to October 17, 2016), during which you will have your ONLY opportunity to express concerns about this proposed PERMANENT reduction of summer river flows by up to 50%. (Normal summer flows are 125 cfs at Hacienda; Fish Flow Project will reduce summer flows down as low as 60 cfs FOREVER) The document will be posted on their website. Only a limited number of hard copies will be available for sale. Contact Ann Dubay (SCWA) for further information. [email protected]
This project is required by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to ostensibly facilitate the creation of a lagoon at the Estuary, which would provide habitat for juvenile Steelhead, a threatened species. Project goals are in effect between May 15 and Oct. 15, and can be implemented after the mouth closes naturally. Yet NMFS failed to consider that the mouth rarely opens (or stays open) in the months of July and August. SCWA data indicates that in the last 20 years, the mouth was breached only five times in July and two times in August. Wave action creates the force to close the mouth, but low river flows appear to do little to lengthen the closure. (Mouth closes most often in October and November.) SCWA has failed to implement the project, but for one time, during six years of attempts. In other words, they will lower summer flows forever in the hope that someday they may be able to implement project for short periods of time.
If this project succeeds in moving forward, conditions are ripe for proliferation of algae in the lower river, and possibly TOXIC blue green algae as well (a common occurrence in the Eel and Klamath rivers). The lower river has excessively high temperatures and phosphorus, (according to agency monitoring data) and lowering flows in these circumstances can greatly exacerbate algal bloom conditions. This would be a risk for human and environmental health and can be deadly for dogs. Such conditions might exacerbate issues with bacteria, and possible concentration and bio-magnification of toxic substances as well. Only future monitoring will define to what extent toxins are an issue. Once this EIR is authorized by Supervisors, it goes to the State Water Board, an entity likely to approve the Supervisor’s action. (Please see attached press release that came through right before sending this message out.)
The other part of the story is that SCWA, in their 2015 Urban Water Management Plan which describes water availability for contractors’ General Plan growth and development, ASSUMES low flow proposal will be approved, and will subsequently assure adequate water supplies in Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino to serve all General Plan Growth projections. Contractors include: Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Windsor, City of Sonoma, Valley of the Moon, Petaluma, North Marin Water District, and Marin Municipal Water District (with whom they have a separate contract). Contractors have recently bragged about what good shape they are in with water supplies as they anticipate a new housing boom and more funds from water sales (at increased rates), while cutbacks in conservation are now the norm.
None of SCWA’s other plans have analyzed impacts of their actions on the lower river environment and communities along the lower river. These included Dry Creek Habitat Projects to slow flows from Lake Sonoma, groundwater projects advocating aquifer storage of ‘surplus’ winter water for summer shortages, the Biological Opinion, Estuary Project, Urban Water Management Plans, etc.
The Water Agency announced they will hold an OPEN HOUSE to take questions on the Fish Flow Project EIR on August 24th at the Monte Rio Community Center between 4 pm and 8 pm. This is only five days after the release of the document (likely to be quite lengthy and complex). Staff will meet with people one by one and answer their questions. Of course, there is inadequate time to formulate those questions. In the past, questions and responses were never recorded or distributed, and the rest of the community would not have the benefit of the interchange. Because of the importance of this action, we are requesting that the Agency hold a regular community meeting format in September, including information on the contents of the document and publicly answer questions so that all could hear the response. We recommend that this meeting take place around 6 pm or on a Saturday morning in Monte Rio several weeks after release of the document. (WE NEED TIME TO ABSORB ALL THE INFORMATION IN DOCUMENT!)
PLEASE HELP! HERE ARE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:
1. Send email soon to Ann Dubay (SCWA staff-email address above) asking that SCWA hold a group community meeting at Monte Rio (NOT an Open House) in late afternoon or early evening in September, after people have had time to examine the document and formulate questions. Please copy Supervisor Efren Carrillo with your message at [email protected] If you can send me a separate email to [email protected] informing me you sent email, it would be a big help. I can get you on my list to keep you informed.
2. An alternative approach, since we are not sure they will agree to an extra meeting, is for most people to show up at the August 24th open house at 5:30. We are hoping that if a large crowd of people showed up at the same time that day, we might persuade staff to hold a regular meeting format. (Of course then they may not hold an additional meeting in September. This is a gamble either way. I suggest that people show up on the 24th and then demand an additional meeting.) If you ask to be put on Ann’s list, you will be informed as to what they decide.
3. There is one public hearing before the Board of Supervisors on this massive project: September 13th at 3 pm (Tuesday) in Supervisor’s Chambers in Santa Rosa. We are hoping a lot of people will attend and protest LOW FLOWS!
4. Let us know if you can help circulate flyers in lower river communities. We want to get the word out.
5. I would welcome opportunities to speak to groups about this project in late September (I need time to absorb information in document.) Contact me if interested ([email protected] )
Please forward this information to anyone who might be interested. We need to give it broad circulation. Thank you!
RRWPC is building a legal fund, so donations of any size will be most welcome. You can donate through PayPal at our website (www.rrwpc.org ) or send a check of any size made out to RRWPC and mail to P.O. Box 501, Guerneville, CA 95446. Please let me know by email if you are able to help with this effort.
Brenda Adelman
Russian River Watershed Protection Committee
P.O. Box 501, Guerneville, CA 95446
Email: [email protected]
RRWPC Website: www.rrwpc.org
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
Russian River Fish Habitat Flows and Water Rights
Draft Environmental Impact Report Released
Here's a good video introduction to this important and controversial proposed change to the management of the Russian River that tries to create a better habitat for coho salmon and steelhead while balancing all the other needs and concerns of the Russian River ecosystem. A portion of the Press Democrat's article on the report follows.
More information can be found the Sonoma County Water Agency's Fish Flow site including a good FAQ document.
Also note the concerns posted above from Brenda Adelman of Russian River Watershed Protection Committee on the prior post on this thread, including the proliferation of algae and lack of studies on the impact lower river environment and communities along the lower river.
Also note the public meetings listed in the sidebar below, including one today in Cloverdale.
Barry :waccosun:
https://www.waccobb.net/forums/wacco...4_15-56-29.png
Russian River plan calls for lower summer flows to protect fish
MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | August 19, 2016
A long-awaited report outlining plans to permanently reduce summertime flows in the Russian River and Dry Creek to benefit imperiled fish species was unveiled Friday, kicking off a public comment period that’s expected to feature ample disagreement and controversy.
The blueprint formalizes water releases that have already been made for years at Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, the region’s two main reservoirs, which supply drinking water to more than 600,000 and maintain year-round river flows for people and fish.
The new, six-volume environmental impact report is meant to bring the region’s water management into official compliance with federal guidelines for the Russian River’s beleaguered salmon and steelhead trout species.
But it also would nearly halve minimum summertime flows in the lower river — even during the rainiest years — a policy that triggered questions and angst well before Friday about potential impacts on recreation, water quality and other aspects of the watershed’s health.
“Our community is concerned about the state of the fish habitat, but also concerned about any impacts making low flow permanent will have on our water quality, our tourism industry, and of course on the health of our residents and pets,” Monte Rio Community Alliance President Chuck Ramsey said. He alluded to the death of a dog, which last year ingested toxic algae during a trip down the lower river. Such algae can develop in still, warm and shallow water — conditions that can accompany low flows.
“There needs to be a balance that allows us to achieve the best outcomes possible,” Ramsey said.
The new environmental report, from the Sonoma County Water Agency, tops 3,600 pages and is subject to a 60-day public comment period. It will be the focus of a pair of town hall meetings next week in Cloverdale and Monte Rio and a Sept. 13 hearing before Sonoma County supervisors, who oversee the Water Agency.
Agency officials say it is driven by a shift in thinking over recent decades about the needs of endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. While young and living in freshwater, the oceangoing fish are believed to benefit from low-velocity conditions while they feed and grow.
A guiding document issued in 2008 by federal fishery regulators ordered the Water Agency to overhaul releases from Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino to reduce May-to-October river levels. The goal is to slow the current and increase the chance that a freshwater lagoon could form at the mouth of the river in Jenner. Juvenile steelhead trout use such habitat to rest and feed before entering the ocean.
A drop in summertime releases at Lake Mendocino’s Coyote Dam also helps to preserve the supply of deep, cold water that can then be released in the fall to aid the spawning run of adult chinook salmon, the Water Agency said.
Without a comprehensive plan that guides such water management, the local officials each year have sought permission from the state to reduce stream flows to safeguard fish.
The drought further complicated matters, leading to additional reductions in recent years. The river reached its lowest level in September 2014, when flows dropped to 50 cubic feet per second in the upper Russian River, north of Healdsburg, and to 60 cfs in the lower river, downstream of where it joins Dry Creek, said Ann DuBay said, a Water Agency spokeswoman. A cubic foot is about the amount of water that would fit in a basketball.
Under the new proposal, the lower river could drop as low as 70 cubic feet per second from May to mid-October in years with normal rain. Under a state water permit issued in 1986, the current minimum summertime flow in the lower river is 125 cfs, though the Water Agency typically adds a buffer of 10-to-15 cfs, DuBay said.
Minimum flow requirements in the upper river would shift from 185 cfs to 105 cfs in wet years.
In the driest years, minimum river flows would remain the same, at 25 cfs in the upper river, and 35 cfs in the lower, DuBay said.
Many advocates and stakeholders are wary of the plan and its potential for putting the river at risk on a scientific basis some still question. They worry that reducing river flow will lead to warmer, more stagnant water — fostering conditions that likely contributed to last year’s toxic algae bloom. Such conditions, they worry, could harm wildlife and diminish the river as a recreational destination for anglers and boaters.
The Russian River Watershed Protection Committee, a fixture in such debates for decades, called increased algae and possible toxicity “a virtual certainty” under permanent low flows.
“The river now suffers from excessive temperature and excessive phosphorous, and the only condition holding algae somewhat in check is summer flow,” committee Chairwoman Brenda Adelman said.
Continues here
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Barry:
Russian River Fish Habitat Flows and Water Rights
Draft Environmental Impact Report Released
....
This is a disturbing report. It advocates reducing summertime flows in the River to very low levels. The Water Agency is following the Federal Biological Opinion (BO), a document that explicitly ignores the human impact of its recommendations. The result of low flow proposed in the summer is higher water temperatures, lower dissolved oxygen levels, toxic algae blooms, and higher contaminant and pathogen levels. All these factors are extremely detrimental to steelhead and coho salmon. They are also detrimental to people and animals and the other wildlife that live along the river.
Furthermore, the BO calls for a permanent summertime closure of the river mouth which will increase the size of the non flowing portion of the river, the estuary. The estuary component of the BO is its weakest area. Under normal conditions the Russian River has a very large estuary, extending inland some 10 miles to Duncan's Mills. The BO proposes raising the water level and extending the estuary past Monte Rio to the Summer crossing, another 10 miles or so. This populated area will have no flowing water and the resulting stagnant water will again suffer from higher levels of pathogens, e-coli, and make the conditions bad for people, dogs, recreation, and most of all the FISH that the plan is trying to protect. Most public access and beaches at Duncan's Mills, Casini, Villa Grande, and Monte Rio will be inundated.
The real reason the salmonoid population is suffering is the destruction of upstream habitat and spawning areas due to the construction of dams, gravel mining, and agricultural development taking place over the last 60 years. These negative factors are being addressed to a degree but the BO is unfairly impacting the lower river and its residents and ecosystems.
A corollary effect of the BO is the water agency gets to sell 75,000 additional acre feet of water to cities and big ag, which they are very happy about.
This misguided effort will affect the river for the foreseeable future. Most community and river health advocates are dead set against this overbearing effort on the part of the federal government to change what makes this such an appealing place to live in and to love.
I fear this is a fait accompli. The agency has given the public 2 months to digest a 3600 page document. No public comments will be heard at the two informational meetings, we are just going to be told what they plan to do. There is only one opportunity to publicly comment, at the Board of Supervisors meeting on September 13.
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
This is a water grab pure and simple and an excellent example of 21st century american democracy style government corruption which will further degrade fish habitat and continue to develop the Russian River as a toilet bowl for Sonoma County, destroying river tourism. The report actually says that the river is polluted, so any further concentration of pollution as the flow is cut to 1/3 of past flows means it's still polluted. No attempt to quantify how much worse it will be, despite this last two years of toxic algae blooms and other disturbing data the county has collected which is glossed over in this bs report by statistical manipulation.
The truth is that the way the water agency can get more water from Lake Sonoma is by cutting river flow. Dry Creek flow is maxed out and when the county proposed a pipeline from the reservoir to the river, it was quickly blocked a coalition of landowners and environmentalists. This second option is cloaked in greenwashing but will be even more environmentally destructive ; (
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by jbox:
This is a disturbing report. It advocates reducing summertime flows in the River to very low levels. ...
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
Speaking of water theft; you might like ti research where some Russian River water comes from. Hint...Eel River
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by rossmen:
This is a water grab pure and simple ...
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
Ann is such an amazing Human Being ; She IS SO right...( sigh sad to say) ...WE MUST fight this kind of garbage NON sense! This is (yet another) BAD IDEA! As a person that worked in the S.F Zoo A.R.C program years ago (Animal Resource Center) in which we helped rescue Wildlife & had a program that re introduced Raptors back into the Wild i.e Golden Eagles in N. California ..i understand ALL too well the importance of HEALTHY WATERWAYS . Rivers, Creeks & Streams are MOST VITAL to ALL Life (including our Human Species). We can not allow this to happen!!!! When Rivers become too slow moving it allows WAY large amounts of ALL sorts of bad things to grow. Now OVER 90% of the Rivers in our Country are considered "dead" in that they are TOO full of nitrogen i.e algae & other harmful Plants in Water Ways thus creating suffocation of MOST ALL Fish & effecting other Wildlife & ALL Life in EXTREMELY NEGATIVE ways. After all EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS CONNECTED ..We NEED to be VERY concerned that our Water Ways (among other things) are NOT being cared for in good ways. We have become very poor caretakers of what is Sacred... Water IS LIFE without it WE ARE ALL in BIG trouble... We need to stop allowing chemical fertilizers, pesticides & petroleum run boats & jet skis to be in OUR EXTREMELY VITAL Water Ways...We NEED to understand when we ALLOW others to slow the flow of our precious Water Ways it adds MORE HARM than good . Water NEEDS to FLOW otherwise it stagnates causing DEATH !..i can not FATHOM anyone that cares about Life "thinking" this is a good idea on ANY LEVEL...unless they are blind by some greedy idea (which is usually the "reason" behind MOST ALL deadly "ideas" that sound "good" to special interest groups.) This is happening TOO much in our World & it MUST STOP. We have already mismanaged our World to an outrageous degree. It is TRULY sad & shocking that TOO many have disrespected our Sacred World & We absolutely MUST & NEED to turn things around NOW. Sincerely Please share this with EVERYONE You know & You meet..& apathy is a curse instead of "feeling" helpless i suggest feeling outraged & empowered to stop this...Blessings:Yinyangv:
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Valet Posting Service:
River Friends:
On August 19, 2016, the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) will release the long awaited Fish Flow Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR). There will be a 60-day comment period (to October 17, 2016), ...
2 Attachment(s)
Re: Russian River Flows To Be Reduced By Up To 50%-Please Read This Important Information
Dear Russian River Friends:
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON RUSSIAN RIVER LOW FLOW EIR: PLEASE READ AND CIRCULATE TO OTHERS!
NEW PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED:
Comment period for Fish Flow (Low Flow) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been extended to Feb. 14, 2017 and a new hearing will be held on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2016, at 6:00 PM at Guerneville Vets Building (16255 First St at Church St.) This will be the only hearing in our area before comments are due Feb. 14th.
CRITICAL STATE WATER BOARD PROTEST LETTERS DUE BY NOV. 22, 2016
In 2010, the State Board required protest letters on low flow project before it was hardly formulated. Many of you responded by sending in sample comment letters provided by RRWPC. About a month ago the State Board sent out letters rescinding validity of the former comment letters and asked for new ones. (I can send more info on this if requested.)
The State Water Board will ultimately make the final decision on permanent flow reductions, and it is very important to get many signed letters submitted with a copy to the Water Agency saying you protest low flow, whether or not you received the recent State letter. We have attached a sample target letter to email. We hope everyone will download letter, sign it, and send to RRWPC at P.O. Box 501, Guerneville, CA 95446. We will then scan the letter and send to the appropriate people at Water Agency and State Water Board. Or you can send out two letters directly yourself. (copy must go to Todd Schram at [email protected] ) PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS LETTER AMONG YOUR GROUPS AND ASK PEOPLE TO SIGN AND RETURN TO RRWPC. (When have you ever heard that low flow is good for fish?)
We urge you to express your own ‘low flow’ concerns on the back of the letter, and/or you can copy letter on to your own letterhead and even change the letter if you want.
We are hoping to send in hundreds of letters. We know the State is paying attention to this item and they are gauging the level of concern by the number of letters they get. We request that you circulate this information to other people on your email lists who might be concerned about river flows. Anyone who can print their name and address and sign their name can send in a letter. In other words, young people are welcome to take part in saving the river.
Please send signed letters to RRWPC at address above. Protest letters must be received by State and Water Agency by 4:30 pm on November 22, 2016. If mailing to RRWPC, we suggest they be mailed by Nov. 18th so we have time to scan and send.
RRWPC HIRES ATTORNEY TO WRITE COMMENTS ON THIS PROJECT TO BOTH AGENCIES:
RRWPC is in need of donations for legal expenses. We appreciate any sized monetary donation made to RRWPC and sent to P.O.Box 501, Guerneville, CA 95446. Or you are welcome to use PayPal on our website (www.rrwpc.org )
PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION TO ANYONE CONCERNED ABOUT WATER QUALITY AND SUMMER FLOWS IN THE RUSSIAN RIVER! Contact RRWPC at: [email protected]
Brenda Adelman
