Category: Water

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Water, WildlifeTags , , , , ,

Op-Ed: Still time to settle county well ordinance dispute

Don McEnhill & Sean Bothwell, PRESS DEMOCRAT

It’s time to urge the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to act with responsibility and foresight by resolving the ongoing dispute over the county’s well permitting ordinance. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of our environment, economy and way of life.

The people of Sonoma County rely on our elected officials to create policy that is not only transparent and fact-based but also ensures the long-term health of our precious resources, including our salmon populations.

Our organizations, Russian Riverkeeper and California Coastkeeper Alliance, are in court challenging an amended well ordinance passed in 2023. We’re suing because we believe the ordinance violates the Public Trust Doctrine and the California Environmental Quality Act.

The Sonoma County Superior Court agreed and ruled that the county must revise the ordinance to reflect the facts on the ground. Instead of taking the time to protect our resources and comply with state law, the county has decided to continue to waste taxpayer money fighting a legal battle. It’s time for the county to come to the table and work toward a solution that genuinely benefits everyone.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opinion/sonoma-county-supervisors-well-drilling-lawsuit/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Water, WildlifeTags , , , , ,

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors moves to appeal ruling that county’s well ordinance violated environmental law

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will appeal a superior court judge’s ruling that the county violated state environmental law when revising a controversial ordinance governing wells and groundwater use.

The board’s decision is the latest evolution of the county’s yearslong legal battle with environmental advocates, which has thrown the county’s ability to issue groundwater well permits into limbo.

The county is currently issuing permits for nonemergency wells under a temporary court order pausing a separate court-ordered moratorium on well permitting.

The window for issuing permits will remain in place until the court decides whether to allow the county to continue permitting during the appeals process.

Last fall, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo ordered the county to halt nonemergency well permitting until it can complete an environmental review of the ordinance in alignment with state law. The order was in addition to his determination that the county did not properly follow the state’s environmental review process.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-groundwater-drilling-wells/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Habitats, Water, WildlifeTags , , , ,

‘Puddles and ditches’: California considers protecting wetlands from Trump order

Alastair Bland, CALMATTERS

Legislators and environmentalists are considering how to safeguard California’s wetlands after the Trump administration announced its plans to rein in — once again — the nation’s 53-year-old law protecting waterways.

At stake are seasonal streams, ponds and pools, which are only inundated part of the time and found throughout the Southwest. In California, an estimated 80% of all linear miles of streams and rivers are ephemeral or intermittent.

The Trump administration’s plan to alter the Clean Water Act’s definition of wetlands to exclude such waterways could render vast areas of California essentially unprotected from developers and growers.

The plan proposed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday comes as no surprise. Trump ordered the same move during his first stint in the White House. In 2017 Trump called many wetlands “puddles and ditches” and said the rules were “one of the worst examples of federal regulation and it has truly run amok.” The Biden administration in 2022 enacted new rules that reversed his decision.

During Trump’s first term, California officials said they would take action to protect the state’s wetlands from the president’s order. The State Water Resources Control Board in 2019 adopted new rules to strengthen protection of waters and establish a “single accepted definition of wetlands at the state level.”

Now a new bill introduced last month, Senate Bill 601, would build in more protection, amending the state Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act to copy existing federal protections. It would, among other provisions, require new permitting rules for pollutants from business operations or construction.

Read more at https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/03/california-wetlands-trump-clean-water-act/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories WaterTags , ,

Court order extends temporary window for Sonoma County to issue well permits

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Sonoma County has an extra few weeks to issue permits for nonemergency wells under a recent court order.

A judge ordered the county stop issuing nonemergency permits in December after ruling that the county had failed to follow state environmental requirements.

A second judge lifted the order temporarily, allowing permit applications through the end of February. He has now extended that window to March 27.

Well permitting is critical in county rural areas, which depend on groundwater for agriculture, residential use and new development.

Under the temporary reprieve, the county has issued 69 well permits, since Feb. 6, and there are an additional 24 in process, Tennis Wick, the director of the county permitting department confirmed Tuesday.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-well-permits-groundwater-court-case/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories WaterTags , , , , , ,

Seismic retrofit, repairs planned at regional wastewater treatment plant

Paulina Pineda, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Improvements are planned at the regional Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant serving Santa Rosa and other cities to reduce risks of failure during an earthquake and repair other damage at the aging facility.

The repairs are planned within the headworks facility, the plant’s so-called workhorse where raw sewage is first collected and pretreated before it flows through the rest of the facility.

A city-funded study of the facility’s seismic loading and structural condition found significant deficiencies.

Gases emitted during the treatment process also have led concrete and metallic components of the facility to crack and corrode, said Tetyana Mokvyts, a water reuse engineer with Santa Rosa Water.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/santa-rosa-laguna-wastewater-plant-repairs/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Habitats, Water, WildlifeTags , , , , , , , , ,

Historic pact reached on future Eel River water flows into Russian River

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT

  • A historic agreement has been reached to manage water flow from the Eel River to the Russian River.
  • The deal establishes limits on diversions, focusing on fish protection.
  • Water rights are transferred to the Round Valley Tribes, supporting river restoration efforts.

Officials from three counties and the Round Valley Indian Tribes have reached a historic agreement that paves the way for continued diversions from the Eel River to bolster flows in the Russian River.

The agreement represents a critical development for anyone whose water comes from the Russian River.

The complex accord resulted from years of negotiations to preserve supplemental flows in the Russian River, the water lifeline for residents, ranchers and wildlife in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The agreement also supports the restoration and fish recovery in the Eel River, which was crucial to securing support from environmental interests, tribes and Humboldt County residents.

It is, at last, the “two-basin solution” envisioned by regional stakeholders in 2019 and even earlier, when Pacific Gas & Electric first raised questions about whether to continue operating the small, aging hydroelectric plant in Potter Valley through which Eel River flows have been redirected.

The utility is now on track to decommission the plant, tear down Scott Dam, which impounds Lake Pillsbury in Lake County, and Cape Horn Dam 12 miles downstream, where Eel River water has long been diverted.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/eel-river-diversions-russian-river/?ref=moststory

Author SuzannePosted on Categories WaterTags , ,

Judge grants Sonoma County temporary window to issue well permits

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Sonoma County government has a two-week window to issue permits for non-emergency wells under a temporary stay granted by a Sonoma County Superior Court judge.

The county’s permitting department announced in a Friday press release that it resumed issuing permits in light of the reprieve. The department so far has issued 12 permits and have another 43 in process, said Tennis Wick, director of Permit Sonoma, the county’s planning and permitting department.

“If they’ve already submitted their application they can anticipate issuance of the well permit soon,” Wick said of applicants. “We will responsibly process new applications as we receive them.”

The temporary stay, which expires near the end of February, is the latest development in a yearslong legal fight centered on a county ordinance governing wells and groundwater use.

The county had to stop issuing permits for non-emergency wells last December after a judge determined the county violated state environmental law in its attempt to draft the controversial ordinance. The court ordered the county to halt non-emergency well-permitting until it can complete an environmental review of the ordinance in alignment with state law.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-wells-groundwater-lawsuit/?ref=home-A1toptextstories

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Habitats, Water, WildlifeTags , , , , , ,

Rep. Jared Huffman secures $15 million for Eel River Dam removal and Russian River diversion plan

UKIAH DAILY JOURNAL

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, recently announced that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Sonoma County Water Agency $15 million toward implementing the Two-Basin Solution for water diversions from the Eel River to the Russian River.

In a press release, Huffman explains that “the funds through the Inflation Reduction Act will fund a major Eel River estuary project supported by the tribes, and put a down payment on construction of a new wintertime diversion to the Russian River following the removal of two salmon-blocking dams on the Eel.”

“This funding shows what can be accomplished thanks to the strong partnerships in the Eel and Russian river basins. We’ve now reached a significant milestone in restoring salmon and other aquatic life in the Eel River while protecting a key water supply for communities in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties,” Huffman is quoted as saying in the release.

Explaining that “the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. plans to remove Scott and Van Arsdale dams that no longer produce electricity but prevent salmon from reaching 200 miles of spawning habitat, Huffman also notes that “Round Valley Indians Tribes and Sonoma Water worked together on the application and are also working with Mendocino Inland Water and Power Commission on a plan that will benefit both basins.”

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/russian-river-eel-river-huffman/?ref=home-A1toptextstories

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Land Use, WaterTags , , , , ,

Russian River communities feel blindsided by recent changes to flood zones

Marisa Endicott, PRESS DEMOCRAT

☛ Permit Sonoma webpage with FEMA Flood Hazard & Zoning Update Map

A change to federal flood zones could affect insurance rates, property values and building, especially along the lower Russian River.

Nick Schwanz went to a Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting in November to weigh in on a particular agenda item.

He was surprised to learn, however, that another item, which appeared to be a routine and technical set of zoning adjustments, actually carried huge implications for his community.

Schwanz, a board member of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce, quickly pivoted and became one of the few to comment on an apparent change to the federal flood zones that could affect insurance rates, property values and building especially along the lower Russian River.

“As far I know this isn’t on anybody’s map,” Schwanz said.

Supervisors, too, seemed taken by surprise.

“This was sort of framed to me as technical corrections, and honestly the way the data was presented made it impossible to see the bigger picture,” said Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who represents much of the affected area. “When we have constituents coming to us who received a notice in the mail yesterday and have no idea what it means, that’s a failure of community engagement. That’s a failure of communication, and we need to do better. I can’t in good conscience vote on this.”

At issue was a new study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of flood hazards in the Russian River Watershed, the first update in 30 years. The maps are used to determine flood risks and insurance requirements and must be adopted by counties to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/russian-river-fema-flood-zones/

Author SuzannePosted on Categories Habitats, Water, WildlifeTags , , , , ,

Spawning Chinook salmon return to Sonoma Creek in wake of recent storms

Martin Espinoza, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Copious early rainfall and efforts aimed at restoring local salmon and steelhead trout habitat have made such scenes possible, local ecologists say.

A female Chinook salmon swam steadily against the current in a shallow section of Sonoma Creek as several male fish splashed about behind her, jockeying for position, waiting for her to lay her eggs.

Just a few yards downstream on Wednesday, near the bank of the creek, another female rolled onto her side and smacked the gravel and rocks with her tail, doing her part to dig a “redd” or nest as the current flushed away silt and sediment that can be harmful to egg development.

This spawning scene for Chinook, or king salmon, in the headwaters of Sonoma Creek within Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is an uncommon sight for most local residents.

But since late November, hundreds of Chinook have traveled up the watershed from San Pablo Bay and been spotted in numerous tributaries that drain Sonoma Valley and its surrounding elevations.

Heavy rains in November and December have created ideal stream flows that have allowed spawning salmon to make their way into the region’s headwaters, said Steven Lee, research program manager of the Sonoma Ecology Center, which monitors the health of the Sonoma Creek watershed.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/spawning-chinook-salmon-sonoma-creek-valley/?