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Topic: Russian River

Overview April 24, 2014

Russian River

The Russian River drains the sparsely populated, forested coastal area that stretches from San Francisco to the Oregon border.

Along the Russian, federally funded dams have created Lake Mendocino (at the Coyote Dam) and Lake Sonoma (Warm Springs Dam). Locally built aqueducts channel water from these lakes into growing Marin and Sonoma counties.

The Russian River is one of the most flood-prone rivers in California, routinely overflowing during wet years. As storm systems approach California, the wet bands of clouds are uplifted by the Coast Range, releasing precipitation first and most intensely on the coastal streams. One flood control dam is on the Russian River and one on Dry Creek, a tributary to the Russian River, which can capture about 20 percent of flood flows.

In addition to flooding issues, the Rus­sian River faces other challenges to balance competing demands for its water. In an area that was once legacy to massive num­bers of salmon and steelhead, restoring the fishery has been a key focus, while water providers must accommodate municipal needs as well as those of grape growers in one of the world’s most prized wine-producing regions.

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Aquafornia news April 12, 2021 CBS News

Monday Top of the Scroll: Western U.S. may be entering its most severe drought in modern history

[S]ome scientists [are] saying the region is on the precipice of permanent drought. That’s because in 2000, the Western U.S. entered the beginning of what scientists call a megadrought — the second worst in 1,200 years — triggered by a combination of a natural dry cycle and human-caused climate change. In the past 20 years, the two worst stretches of drought came in 2003 and 2013 — but what is happening right now appears to be the beginning stages of something even more severe. And as we head into the summer dry season, the stage is set for an escalation of extreme dry conditions, with widespread water restrictions expected and yet another dangerous fire season ahead.

Related articles: 

  • Ukiah Daily Journal: Lack of rain leaving ‘Lake Mendocino like we’ve never seen it before,’ water official warns 
  • County of Sonoma: Historically dry conditions and increased demands prompt inflation of Russian River inflatable dam
  • Digital Journal: Drought conditions worsen in western U.S. as climate warms
  • KSBW8: A dry year leads water managers to think about conservation measures
  • KSBY: Lawmakers send a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom asking for state of emergency
  • KQED: ‘Gold Standard’ Data Shows Much Longer Droughts in West
  • San Diego Union-Tribune: Opinion – Californians, get ready for drought water restrictions
  • California Farm Water Coalition: What can the 2015 drought tell us about the impacts of a drought in 2021?
  • Bloomberg Green: La Nina Is Fading But California, Gulf Coast Still Face Risks
  • Fresno Irrigation District: FID’s Drought-Shortened Water Deliveries Will Begin June 1
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Aquafornia news April 12, 2021 Sonoma West

Water rates heading back to council on Wednesday

The theme of the April 14 meeting of the Cloverdale City Council is seemingly water — the council will be viewing a presentation on its updated water and sewer rate study and giving direction on whether or not to proceed to a public hearing with new rates, and will also be discussing whether or not it wants to join the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership. 

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Aquafornia news April 2, 2021 Los Angeles Times

Friday Top of the Scroll: Drought is back. But Southern California faces less pain than Northern California

Drought is returning to California as a second, consecutive parched winter draws to a close in the usually wet north, leaving the state’s major reservoirs half empty. But this latest period of prolonged dryness will probably play out very differently across this vast state. In Northern California, areas dependent on local supplies, such as Sonoma County, could be the hardest-hit. Central Valley growers have been told of steep cuts to upcoming water deliveries. Environmentalists too are warning of grave harm to native fish. Yet, hundreds of miles to the south, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California reports record amounts of reserves — enough to carry the state’s most populous region through this year and even next.

Related articles: 

  • Sacramento Bee: Sierra snowpack at 59% but ‘next few weeks will be critical’ for California water officials
  • Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino water levels at record low for this time of year
  • OPB: Oregon governor declares drought emergency in Klamath Basin​
  • Marin Independent Journal: Point Reyes elk dying as dry period persists
  • Eos: Tackling challenges of a drier, hotter, more fire-prone future 
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Aquafornia news March 22, 2021 Davis Enterprise

Obituary: Larry Richard Brown

Larry Brown …was a renowned research scientist who was recently acknowledged by a Stanford study as among the world’s top 2% of scientists in his field.,,,In 1991, Larry joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a research scientist, an association that lasted the rest of his career.

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Aquafornia news March 16, 2021 CalMatters

Opinion: As drought alarms sound, is California prepared?

We’re facing another very dry year, which follows one of the driest on record for Northern California and one of the hottest on record statewide. The 2012-16 drought caused unprecedented stress to California’s ecosystems and pushed many native species to the brink of extinction, disrupting water management throughout the state.  Are we ready to manage our freshwater ecosystems through another drought?
-Written by Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow, and Caitrin Chappelle, associate director, at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center.

Related article:

  • Santa Clarita Valley Signal: SCV Water releases water-shortage plan for public comment 
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Aquafornia news March 10, 2021 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Opinion: Russian River environment – Save water as if your life depends on it

Those of us in the water industry are always looking for new ways to ask our customers to save, conserve, and never waste water. And we do that for good reason. We live in a region prone to regular periods of drought, punctuated by sudden and catastrophic floods. Last year we had a very dry year, and this water year is off to a very dry start as well. Sonoma Water, which supplies drinking water to 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties, relies on rainfall to fill our reservoirs and consecutive years of below-average rainfall are always cause for concern. Will this be a two-year dry spell, or the beginning of a multi-year drought?
Written by Barry Dugan, Senior Programs Specialist in the Community and Government Affairs Division at Sonoma Water.

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Aquafornia news March 9, 2021 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Operating dams to better manage big storms can build resiliency to climate extremes

California’s large reservoirs are currently operated using historical hydrology and outdated assumptions about the state’s climate. Many experts are calling for changing how reservoirs are managed to reflect advances in weather forecasting, which can help the state adapt to a warmer, more volatile climate. We talked to Martin Ralph—director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography—about advances in this field.

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Aquafornia news March 4, 2021 PV Magazine International

Floating PV plant at California water treatment facility

White Pine Renewables has completed a floating solar array in northern California that the company claims is the largest such project in the United States. The 4.8 MW Healdsburg Floating Solar Project was installed on ponds at a wastewater treatment plant in Healdsburg, California. It will deliver energy to the city under under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The company chose the project site and floating PV approach to help reduce evaporation and algae growth at the ponds. The electricity will cover around 8% of the city’s total energy demand and move it toward its goal of 60% renewable energy usage before 2030.

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Aquafornia news February 24, 2021 Sonoma West

Healdsburg asking residents to voluntarily conserve water

With much of Northern California swathed in a severe drought, the city of Healdsburg is asking residents to voluntarily conserve water by reducing irrigation and switching to drought resistant plants, fixing leaky faucets and running clothes and dishwashers at full capacity. As of Jan. 19, precipitation was at 40% of normal rainfall according to Felicia Smith, a utility conservation analyst with the city of Healdsburg.

Related article: 

  • KION 5/46 News Channel: Santa Cruz County faces potential water rationing 
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Aquafornia news February 18, 2021 WaterWorld

New report confirms benefits of forecast-informed reservoir operations at Lake Mendocino

Modern forecasting methods fueled by advances in understanding and predicting atmospheric river storms have enabled U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) operators to better optimize water resources at Lake Mendocino, a Northern California reservoir. A multi-agency report issued Feb. 4, 2021, describes how these forecasting tools have helped operators increase the lake’s dry season stores of drinking water, improve its ability to alleviate flood risk, and enhance environmental conditions in the downstream Russian River to support salmonid species. 

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Aquafornia news February 5, 2021 Civil Eats

What role can vineyards play in conserving California’s biodiversity?

For years, Gamble Vineyards has worked to create a more biodiverse habitat on vineyard land, including establishing animal sanctuaries throughout the property and donating acreage to the Napa River Restoration project. Now the river’s growing beaver population is chewing the trees that Gamble has planted over the last 20 years.

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Aquafornia news February 5, 2021 AgNetWest

Winery wastewater guidelines impact half of all California operations

A new set of winery wastewater guidelines will be imposed on a statewide basis. The State Water Resources Control Board recently adopted a general order regulating how wastewater will be processed and discharged. … While the wine industry is concerned with water quality issues, there is some concern that a statewide mandate may not be the best approach to the issue. 

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Aquafornia news February 5, 2021 The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat

Friday Top of the Scroll: High-tech forecasting model scores scientific win at Lake Mendocino, showing promise for Western reservoirs

Sandbars are spreading across rain-starved Lake Mendocino, the reservoir near Ukiah that is 35 feet lower than it was a year ago, a grim wintertime sight for the second major source of water for more than 655,000 people in Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties. But the situation would be considerably worse without the payoff from a six-year, $50 million project applying high-tech weather forecasting to management of the reservoir behind Coyote Valley Dam built on the East Fork of the Russian River in 1958. 

Related articles: 

  • Sonoma Water news release: New Report Confirms Benefits of Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations at Lake Mendocino​
  • Center for Western Weather & Water Extremes report: Lake Mendocino Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations
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Aquafornia news January 29, 2021 Sonoma County Water Agency

Press Release: Russian River inflatable dam deflation planned

In anticipation of the first big storm of the winter, the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 will begin the process of deflating its rubber dam located in the Russian River near Forestville. Sonoma Water routinely deflates the rubber dam when Russian River flow forecasts show the river reaching 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in order to prevent damage to the rubber dam from the high flows. The forecasted winter storm this week is expected to raise river flows above 5,000 cfs by Thursday.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news January 19, 2021 The Press Democrat

Sonoma County flirts with drought as reservoirs recede in water-poor winter

About a mile of bare, cracked earth now lies like a desertscape between the boat ramp at the north end of Lake Mendocino and the water’s edge of a diminished reservoir that helps provide water for 600,000 Sonoma and Marin County residents. The human-made lake near Ukiah is about 30 feet lower than it was at this time last year, and Nick Malasavage, an Army Corps of Engineers official who oversees operations at the reservoir, said the scene is “pretty jarring.” 

Related article:

  • CBS8: Lower water levels impacting grebes’ mating habits at Lake Hodges
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Aquafornia news January 13, 2021 Red Bluff Daily News

A second chance for Eel River salmon and steelhead? 

For many years Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has operated the “Potter Valley Project,” a hydroelectric facility on the main stem of the Eel River consisting of Scott and Cape Horn dams and a tunnel diverting water into the Russian River watershed, where it is used to generate a small amount of electricity and for irrigation by farmers in Potter Valley and farther south in Sonoma County.  The construction of Scott Dam in 1922 completely blocked passage of critically imperiled anadromous fish including salmon, steelhead and lamprey…

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Aquafornia news January 11, 2021 Santa Rosa Press-Democrat

No more flooding threat to Jenner as mouth of Russian River opens

Water levels at the coastal mouth of the Russian River had declined by late Thursday afternoon, eliminating the threat of flooding in the town of Jenner, according to a release from Sonoma Water, the county water agency. High waves pounded the Sonoma Coast for days, creating a large mound of sand that sealed the mouth of the river. The waves’ intensity initially kept Sonoma Water from sending a heavy equipment operator to dig a channel that would release the water from the river into the ocean.

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Aquafornia news December 15, 2020 SF Gate

State water officials levy $6.4m fine against luxury resort

The company behind a luxury resort and residential project near Healdsburg is facing a $6.4 million fine over dozens of alleged water quality violations involving streams that feed into the Russian River, according to state water officials. 

Related article:

  • State Water Resources Control Board: North Coast Water Board to consider $6.4 million fine against luxury resort developer for Clean Water Act violations
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Aquafornia news December 8, 2020 The Mendocino Voice

Lake Mendocino is low, but no water shortages forecast thanks to new tech

Lake Mendocino currently sits at 712 ft above sea level… That’s very low. But despite years of dry conditions … it’s not the lowest the lake has ever been. Thanks to a new set of satellite technologies and water management techniques dubbed FIRO, or Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (pronounced FEE-roh), the lake is still more than a dozen feet above its record low.

  • Read more
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Aquafornia news November 2, 2020 ABC 7 News

Monday Top of the Scroll: La Niña: Moderate to strong climate event predicted this year, meaning possibly drier conditions in SoCal

Global climate experts are predicting a moderate to strong La Niña weather event this year, meaning a stormy season for most parts of the world but possibly drier-than-normal conditions in Southern California.

Related article:

  • BenitoLink: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration releases winter forecast
  • Los Angeles Times: It will feel like fall ‘quite suddenly’ next weekend in the L.A. region. Will there be rain?
  • Ukiah Daily Journal: 2020 declared the ‘third driest water year’ for Lake Mendocino
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news October 19, 2020 The Mendocino Voice

Groundwater regulation in Ukiah Valley is imminent. Here’s what you need to know

Right now, the Mendocino County Sustainable Groundwater Agency is writing up a groundwater sustainability plan for the basin. The plan will regulate groundwater in the Ukiah Valley basin for the first time ever, and will define how water is managed in and near Redwood Valley, Calpella, and Ukiah for perpetuity.

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Aquafornia news September 17, 2020 North Bay Business Journal

Regulators raise water quality fine to $6.4 million for Montage Healdsburg resort

Poor erosion control on the 258-acre site unleashed soils into streams of the Russian River watershed and put fish and other other aquatic wildlife at risk, regulators found, counteracting millions of dollars spent to improve habitat and restore imperiled, protected runs of salmon and steelhead…

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Aquafornia news September 8, 2020 Sonoma County Gazette

Opinion: Ways to get involved with protecting Sonoma County creeks

Creek Week (starting the fourth week of September), and California’s Coastal Cleanup Day all coincide in September to encourage public participation in keeping our water free of harmful pollutants, with a primary focus on removing trash from local waterways.

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Aquafornia news September 3, 2020 Patch.com

Rohnert Park encourages community to continue water conservation

The city of Rohnert Park is encouraging community members to continue water conservation efforts although Sonoma Water has lifted its emergency water conservation request. Sonoma Water issued the emergency request as a precaution because its water production facilities are situated along the Russian River within the fire evacuation zone.

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Aquafornia news August 31, 2020 The Press Democrat

Walbridge Fire damages half of prime salmon, steelhead spawning grounds, experts say

In burning to the edge of Lake Sonoma, the Walbridge fire has posed an unprecedented threat to the water supply for 600,000 North Bay residents and scorched Sonoma County streams critical to the revival of imperiled fish. … Experts estimate half of the spawning habitat on Russian River tributaries has been burned, dealing a potential setback to expensive, longstanding efforts to bolster coho salmon and steelhead trout populations.

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Aquafornia news August 28, 2020 Sonoma West Times & News

Watershed damage assessment ongoing

Sonoma Water, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, made a request this week for the mobilization of a Watershed Emergency Response Team, a state team than can assess the damage and propose mitigation plans for a five-mile stretch of the Lake Sonoma area that burned in the Walbridge Fire.

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Aquafornia news August 28, 2020 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Third driest year on record for Lake Mendocino, Army Corps declares

With Lake Mendocino losing about a foot of water every five days, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared that 2020 is the “third driest year on record for the basin.” Though 2019 “was one of the wettest years over the past 25 years, this year is stacking up to be one of the driest,” the Army Corps explained…However, the Army Corps said a new forecasting model for storms developed over the last few years has definitely helped maintain the lake’s water levels.

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Aquafornia news June 12, 2020 Sonoma County Water Agency

News release: Third driest year on record leads to reduced Russian River flow request

The Sonoma County Water Agency filed a Temporary Urgency Change Petition with the State Water Resources Control Board to reduce Russian River minimum in-stream flows this summer. With the Ukiah region facing its third driest water year on record, Lake Mendocino’s water supply is projected to reach critically low levels due to dry conditions and reduced water transfers from the Potter Valley Project.

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Aquafornia news June 1, 2020 The Press Democrat

Dry winter spurs water managers to cut Russian River flows to retain reservoir supplies

In a stark reminder that drought has once again taken hold on the North Coast, Sonoma County is preparing to ask state water regulators for permission to reduce water levels in the Russian River this summer to conserve water stored in Lake Mendocino and ensure minimal late-season flows for fish.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 29, 2020 Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes

Blog: The hydrometeorological observation network in California’s Russian River watershed: Development, characteristics and key findings

This network has been built up over 20+ years during several epochs, including most recently in support of Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations with USACE and Sonoma Water, and with an eye toward developing knowledge of what observations would be needed in the future to support California’s needs for hydrometeorological information related to drought and flood monitoring and mitigation across the state.

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Aquafornia news May 19, 2020 ScienceDaily

What does drought mean for endangered California salmon?

Increased frequency and severity of droughts threatens California’s endangered salmon population — but pools that serve as drought refuges could make the difference between life and death for these vulnerable fish, according to a study by researchers from UC Berkeley and California Sea Grant…

Related article:

  • Earth.com: Conservation efforts are needed to save California salmon
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Aquafornia news May 15, 2020 Courthouse News Service

Group seeks to remove dam and restore California’s third-largest river

The Round Valley Indian Tribes, California Trout, Humboldy County, the Mendocino Inland Water and Power Commission and Sonoma Water have formed a group called the Two-Basin Partnership and announced the filing of a feasibility report with FERC on Wednesday.

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Aquafornia news May 14, 2020 Redwood Times

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Coalition to take major step in acquiring Potter Valley project from PG&E

A partnership of numerous Northern California agencies intends to file an initial plan to acquire the Potter Valley project from the Pacific Gas and Electric Co., multiple sources confirmed. The coalition will submit a document to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for its consideration. If approved, the group may be able to form a partnered ownership of complex water infrastructure dividing the Eel and Russian rivers.

Related articles:

  • Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Scott Dam slated for removal in plan by Sonoma County and partners to control hydropower project
  • News release: Local coalition advances two-basin solution for Russian and Eel River basins
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 28, 2020 Marin Independent Journal

Marin water district considers ‘very aggressive’ water purchase

Following poor rainfall this winter and rising water demand in recent years, the Marin Municipal Water District is considering a major purchase of Sonoma County water as insurance for a potential dry period.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 21, 2020 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Dry season with summer fast approaching renews drought threat in Sonoma County

Battered by fires, flooding, power outages and a mass evacuation in recent years, Sonoma County residents now have to brace for revival of the D-word — for drought. … Sonoma County experienced a bone-dry February, a first in the area’s history and the nadir of a rain season, now nearly over, that has given Santa Rosa just 18 inches of rain — well over a foot shy of the nearly 34-inch average for this time of year.

Related article:

  • Siskiyou Daily News: Local snowpack is less than half of average
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  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news February 11, 2020 The Press Democrat

Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival honors namesake fish and highlights river health

The local steelhead run is at the height of its roughly four-month window, when adult fish raised from eggs at the Don Clausen Hatchery return from the ocean, swimming up the Russian River and Dry Creek. Returning salmon — including wild and hatchery raised chinook and coho — make similar journeys through the watershed, but their spawning seasons are a bit different.

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Aquafornia news January 31, 2020 Healdsburg Tribune

Cal fish and wildlife monitoring effects of Healdsburg wine spill

Despite the spill, California Department of Fish and Wildlife representatives say that there looks to be no immediate negative environmental impact.

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Aquafornia news January 30, 2020 The Press Democrat

Occidental, home of sky-high sewage rates, eyes outlet in Graton, but some residents object

Two Italian-style restaurants have drawn generations of diners to Occidental while serving pasta, pizza and soup — in recent years under the burden of the steepest sewage treatment rates in Sonoma County and among the highest in California. … There could be some help coming from Graton, about 6 miles to the east with an underutilized wastewater plant… But there’s a catch

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Aquafornia news January 27, 2020 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Russian Riverkeeper works to protect, restore Russian River

Rivers are vital. Like life-giving arteries, they deliver water for drinking and irrigation and fertile soil for vineyards and farms. They support watersheds teeming with life. But humans are hard on rivers. We crowd their banks, dump waste in them and take out water, fish and other resources. … When that happens, who speaks for the river?

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2020 North Bay Business Journal

Water regulators seek $4M fine for millions of gallons discharged at Healdsburg hotel, housing project

Nearly a year after construction was halted a second time at a large resort project at the north end of Healdsburg when water-quality regulators allegedly found millions of gallons of sediment-filled stormwater running off into Russian River tributaries, the agency announced it is pursuing a $4.9 million fine against the developer.

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Aquafornia news January 24, 2020 The Press Democrat

Up to 96,000 gallons of wine spills at Rodney Strong Vineyards, most leaks into Russian River

The Russian River flowed with a cherry red tint Wednesday after tens of thousands of gallons of fresh cabernet sauvignon wine poured into the largest tributary in Sonoma County. The wine — enough to fill more than 500,000 bottles — spilled from a Rodney Strong Vineyards’ storage tank at the Healdsburg winery…

Related articles:

  • Associated Press: Nearly 100K gallons of red wine spills at a California vineyard and leaks into the Russian River
  • San Francisco Chronicle: 90,000-gallon tank of wine at Rodney Strong Vineyards leaks into Russian River
  • Sacramento Bee: Vineyard spills 97,000 gallons of wine, polluting California river, officials say
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news January 14, 2020 The Press Democrat

Experts fear Trump’s weakening of environmental policy could expose North Coast to drilling

A move by the Trump administration to roll back landmark environmental policy intended to ensure vigorous scrutiny of federal infrastructure projects has struck alarm in the hearts of California conservationists, particularly those striving to safeguard North Coast waters from offshore energy exploration and production.

Related article:

  • The Hill: Coalition forms to back Trump rollback of major environmental law
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Aquafornia news December 6, 2019 Estuary News

Helping the homeless clean up watersheds

Homeless volunteers collect so much trash in the Russian River watershed — 150,000 pounds as of October this year — that the state Water Resources Control Board sees it as a model for the rest of California.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2019 The Press Democrat

Future of Potter Valley power project could hinge on options for dam at Lake Pillsbury

CalTrout has identified Scott Dam, which impounds Eel River water in Lake Pillsbury, as one of five aging dams it considers “ripe for removal,” especially in the wake of PG&E’s license surrender. There is, however, a potential middle course backed by Friends of the Eel River, a Eureka-based nonprofit that has long called for the dam’s removal.

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Western Water November 21, 2019 Gary Pitzer California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Can a New Approach to Managing California Reservoirs Save Water and Still Protect Against Floods?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Pilot Projects Testing Viability of Using Improved Forecasting to Guide Reservoir Operations

Bullards Bar Dam spills water during 2017 atmospheric river storms.Many of California’s watersheds are notoriously flashy – swerving from below-average flows to jarring flood conditions in quick order. The state needs all the water it can get from storms, but current flood management guidelines are strict and unyielding, requiring reservoirs to dump water each winter to make space for flood flows that may not come.

However, new tools and operating methods are emerging that could lead the way to a redefined system that improves both water supply and flood protection capabilities.

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Aquafornia news November 21, 2019 KQED Food

Wine moguls destroy land and pay small fines as cost of business, say activists

In Napa County, adjacent to Sonoma and the source of perhaps the most expensive cabernet sauvignon outside of Bordeaux, activists are pushing back against a steady conversion of woodland into new vineyards. Kellie Anderson, an independent watchdog who has harried local officials for years to step up enforcement of environmental laws, says the county’s planning department has ignored numerous violations by grape growers.

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Western Water October 24, 2019 Gary Pitzer California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Understanding Streamflow Is Vital to Water Management in California, But Gaps In Data Exist
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: A new law aims to reactivate dormant stream gauges to aid in flood protection, water forecasting

Stream gauges gather important metrics such as  depth, flow (described as cubic feet per second) and temperature.  This gauge near downtown Sacramento measures water depth.California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.

That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.

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Aquafornia news October 16, 2019 The Press Democrat

Tubbs fire zone landowners felling dead trees, thinning brush to protect Santa Rosa-area creek

The project includes improvements along more than 3 miles of dirt roads, repairing culverts and building erosion control features designed to reduce sediment flow into the creek. The aim is to protect gravel nests, called redds, where female salmon and steelhead lay their eggs, suffocating the eggs as well as clogging the gills of adult fish…

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Aquafornia news October 15, 2019 The Press Democrat

Lake Mendocino benefits from high-tech weather forecasting system

Lake Mendocino made it through a typically long, hot summer with an abundance of water and now, thanks to an ongoing experiment with high-tech weather forecasting, the reservoir can retain more water through the winter, benefiting people, fish and farmers along the Russian River.

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Aquafornia news October 4, 2019 The Press Democrat

Hundreds of tires dumped along Russian River near Hopland

Scrapped waste tires dumped by the hundreds at two sites along the Russian River near Hopland have incensed local watershed stewards eager to see someone held accountable.

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Aquafornia news October 3, 2019 The Press Democrat

Sonoma County residents along Russian River could benefit from $1.5 million in new flood aid

Russian River communities impacted by the 2019 flood may soon see some help, as a budget trailer bill signed last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom promises $1.5 million to the area that suffered 100 landslides and slipouts and faces at least $155 million in damage.

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Aquafornia news September 24, 2019 The Press Democrat

Opinion: Keeping streams safe and clean

A white egret delicately dips its beak into a small puddle. A mother otter and pups dive and roll in a clear, still pool. Tiny minnows dart in the shady shallows. And all of this takes place a stone’s throw from backyards and byways. Our local creeks and streams are literal rivers of life flowing through Sonoma County communities.

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Aquafornia news September 23, 2019 The Press Democrat

Sonoma County grapples with ongoing outdoor poop problem along Russian River

An influx of Bay Area visitors to Sonoma County’s bucolic riverlands has spiked in recent years, bringing with it a problem typically reserved for the privacy of one’s own home. People are pooping in public.

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Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 Patch.com

Opinion: Rivers of life: Russian River watershed

Over the last two decades most urban creeks have been reverted from straight, lifeless channels back to more naturalized streams that still provide flood protection but are now abundant with trees, grasses and wildlife. … Despite these tremendous advances, the 150 creeks in the Russian River watershed and the critters that live in them are vulnerable.

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Aquafornia news September 11, 2019 Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: The Russian River: Managing at the watershed level

Water managers across the state face new and more extreme challenges as the climate warms—from balancing the sometimes conflicting needs of urban, agricultural, and environmental water users to reducing risks from fires, floods, and droughts. We talked to Grant Davis, general manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency, about how his agency is approaching these challenges comprehensively, at the scale of the entire watershed.

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Aquafornia news September 9, 2019 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Ukiah’s wastewater no longer being wasted

The city of Ukiah made its first delivery of recycled water through its extensive Purple Pipe system this week, putting about 2 million gallons of water reclaimed from local sinks, showers and toilets into an irrigation pond just south of the Ukiah Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant.

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Aquafornia news August 26, 2019 The Press Democrat

Russian River watershed protection campaign focuses on keeping storm drains for rain only

Most people pass by storm drains day in and day out, giving little thought to them as conduits to local waterways — and ultimately, the Russian River in much of Sonoma County. An alliance of local cities, special districts and the county wants to change that. The coalition has launched a regional campaign to raise public awareness about the link between surface streets and local creeks…

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Aquafornia news August 23, 2019 Sonoma West Times & News

State sets limits on septic system pollution in Russian River

The ban passed last week means that about 8,000 Russian River property owners are now looking at how to repair or replace substandard or failing residential sewage disposal systems when the new law goes into effect next year.

Related article:

  • Windsor Times: Streets to Creeks campaign seeks to prevent Russian River watershed pollution
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Aquafornia news August 9, 2019 Sonoma West Times & News

County hires ombudsman to help with septic rules

Sonoma County has hired a new ombudsman, Alisha O’Laughlin, to help river residents deal with the new maze of regulations targeting older sewage disposal systems along the Russian River and its tributaries. … O’Loughlin’s hiring coincides with county efforts to implement its onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) regulations and comply with state law…

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Aquafornia news August 5, 2019 Sonoma West Times & News

Opinion: The long journey water pollutants take and how to prevent it

The 110-mile Russian River and all its tributaries move through many active communities and working lands which can affect water quality. Some of the main categories of water quality impacts can include chemicals, bacteria, sediment, and temperature.

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Aquafornia news July 26, 2019 E&E News

Climate: Water shortages force a reckoning in California wine country

More than 90% of U.S. wine comes from California, despite growth in other states’ production, and it’s putting a strain on the environment. Throughout the region, wine producers say they’re striving to save water and use less pesticides, among other measures aimed at sustainable growing, as they face the challenges brought on by the advance of climate change.

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Aquafornia news July 1, 2019 The Press Democrat

Editorial: Don’t count on Sonoma Water after an earthquake

After a disaster, Sonoma Water will try to restore service as quickly as possible. The agency already has installed isolation valves so that it can cut off water around breaks and has some emergency water reserves in place. It estimates that water service could be restored in as few as three days after a moderate earthquake. The grand jury concluded that was an overly rosy prediction.

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Aquafornia news May 31, 2019 Cloverdale Reveille

Coming together for the Potter Valley Project

Last week three local entities — California Trout, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission (IWPC) and Sonoma Water — announced  they will be signing a project planning agreement with the hopes of looking at pathways to relicense the Potter Valley Project. The Potter Valley Project is a hydropower project that sits in the middle of the Eel River and Russian River watershed basins and is integral in providing water to both Mendocino County and northern Sonoma County.

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Aquafornia news May 29, 2019 The Ukiah Daily Journal

Opinion: Is overwatering really so bad?

Even though the Russian River watershed has received roughly 130 percent of the average rainfall this season, it is time to discuss the impacts of overwatered landscapes as the dry weather returns and irrigation controllers turn on.

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Aquafornia news May 23, 2019 Sonoma County Gazette

Sonoma County approves plan to offset groundwater fees in the Santa Rosa Plain

On Tuesday, May 21, the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agencyand the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to offset a fee that is likely to be imposed on groundwater users in the Santa Rosa Plain… Under the plan, the County and Sonoma Water would contribute up to $240,000 annually for three years to the Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency.

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Aquafornia news May 21, 2019 The Press Democrat

Russian River’s seasonal dam coming down again amid heavy rain, runoff

Two days of above-average spring rainfall in the North Bay have forced Sonoma County officials to begin deflating the seasonal dam across the Russian River, an about-face that comes less than a week after the rubber dam was fully inflated to serve the region’s drinking water system.

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  • The Press Democrat: Feds to provide flood aid for roads, but not for Russian River residents
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Aquafornia news May 21, 2019 The Press Democrat

Feds to provide flood aid for roads, but not for Russian River residents

Residents whose homes were flooded will not be eligible for financial aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because state officials determined the amount of damage was insufficient to qualify.

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Aquafornia news April 24, 2019 Sonoma Index-Tribune

February rains inflicted $23 million in damage to Sonoma County roads

The February storms that swelled the Russian River to its highest level in more than two decades did $23 million in damage to Sonoma County roads, including more than 100 landslides and slipouts, leaving county crews and contractors with a Herculean repair job that will take months to complete.

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Aquafornia news April 12, 2019 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Groundwater sustainability board backs off fees for rural well owners in Sonoma County

Facing a wave of opposition over proposed fees for using well water, the directors of a little-known public agency backed away from a decision Thursday and agreed to consider an alternative plan that would exempt rural residents and cost other groundwater users far less overall.

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Aquafornia news April 11, 2019 North Bay Business Journal

Why more California rain could mean bigger problems for your wine, vineyard business

While flooding is clearly a problem, the extra vegetation that thrives can lead to another problem. A hotter-than-average summer – such as one fueled by climate change – can cause vegetation to dry out faster. With all this natural kindling in place, it doesn’t take much to start a fire.

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Aquafornia news April 8, 2019 Healdsburg Tribune

Opinion: Russian River Watershed Association: New agencies manage aquifers

You can’t see them. You can’t swim in them. But groundwater aquifers are one of the most important sources of water in the North Coast. … People who live in rural areas rely almost exclusively on groundwater, and while cities in Sonoma County get most of their water from the Russian River, groundwater provides a critical back-up source that is used during droughts or in emergencies.

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Aquafornia news April 5, 2019 The Press Democrat

Geyserville property owner fined for diverting, polluting streams to grow marijuana

A Geyserville property owner who launched a medical cannabis farm has agreed to pay $245,000 in fines and penalties for what Sonoma County prosecutors said was improper water diversion, unpermitted grading and site work that harmed streams in the Russian River watershed.

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Aquafornia news March 29, 2019 KQED

Sonoma County still hoping flooding will be declared federal disaster

One month after destructive flooding tore through Sonoma County, residents are waiting for the state to decide if it will ask the federal government for a disaster declaration — a move that they say can bring them much-needed financial aid.

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Aquafornia news March 29, 2019 Sonoma West

Adelman’s activism honored by north coast water board

Russian River environ­mental watchdog Brenda Adelman accepted a water stewardship award from California’s North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board last month in a ceremony at NCRWQCB headquarters in Santa Rosa.

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Aquafornia news March 8, 2019 Healdsburg Tribune

Opinion: A river runs through us

We love our Russian River for its eternal beauty, its nurturing forces, its quenching properties, its recreation and play and its renewing spirits. We love our river — except when we don’t. And right now we are distraught over the destruction its breached muddy torrents visited upon us yet again.

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Aquafornia news March 7, 2019 The Press Democrat

Editorial: Flood program is raising homes and cutting losses

Behind the initial damage toll of $155 million from last week’s Russian River flood is some positive news: only 35 homes and businesses have been red-tagged as uninhabitable. After the last major Russian River flood, in 2006, 66 homes and businesses were red-tagged. … The steadily declining numbers reflect three decades of progress in fortifying river communities to withstand floods, most notably an ongoing program to elevate homes.

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Aquafornia news March 7, 2019 The Press Democrat

‘They’re hurting’: Russian River flood victims need immediate financial help

While handing out at the Guerneville Safeway store $50 grocery gift cards to residents affected by last week’s flood, Jeniffer Wertz was forced to turn away several people Sunday after running out of cards. “It was heartbreaking,” said Wertz, a volunteer for the nonprofit Russian River Alliance. For people whose homes, cars or businesses were damaged by the worst flooding along the Russian River in two decades, local nonprofit leaders say, the need for financial help is immediate.

Related articles:

  • Sonoma Index-Tribune: Economic impact on Russian River businesses starts to emerge after last week’s flood
  • KCBS: Labor shortage likely to slow Russian River recovery
  • Editorial: The Press Democrat: Flood program is raising homes and cutting losses
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Aquafornia news March 6, 2019 The Press Democrat

Santa Rosa proclaims flood emergency after 250 million gallons of treated sewage released into streams

Santa Rosa officials said Tuesday that managers at the city’s wastewater plant have been forced to release at least 250 million gallons of treated sewage into two creeks and the nearby Laguna de Santa Rosa amid record inflow to the facility that began in last week’s storm. The three-day deluge pushed more than five times the normal flow of wastewater and runoff into the city’s Laguna de Santa Rosa plant. It was the highest inflow ever recorded at the site, according to the city.

Related articles:

  • The Weekly Calistogan: Emergency repair for Calistoga’s Palisades Lift Station
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Aquafornia news March 5, 2019 The Press Democrat

Flooding in Sonoma County causes estimated $155 million in damage

The powerful storm that swept over Sonoma County last week caused an estimated $155 million in damage to homes, businesses, roads and other public infrastructure, county officials announced Saturday. The updated assessment came at the end of a week marked by the largest flood on the lower Russian River in nearly a quarter century. Guernville and other riverside communities took the heaviest blow, but flooding elsewhere — in Sebastopol, Healdsburg and Geyserville — led to widespread damage countywide.

Related articles:

  • Sonoma Index-Tribune: Latest North Bay disaster underscores growing need for flood insurance
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Aquafornia news March 4, 2019 The Press Democrat

Another major flood along Russian River raises question of what’s to be done

But the river remains an unpredictable force, one that could give rise to even more destructive floods in an era of increasingly extreme weather, experts say. … County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins has her sights on the opportunities to tame floodwaters in the river’s middle reaches, starting near Windsor and upstream, where it broadens and meanders more freely in a floodplain less constricted by roads and other development.

Related articles:

  • The Press Democrat: Huge cleanup awaits along Russian River as high toll of flooding emerges
  • Mercury News: Guerneville floods more than anywhere in the Bay Area. Why can’t it be fixed?
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Flooded but unfazed: Guerneville stands tall as muddy waters slowly ebb
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Aquafornia news February 28, 2019 Associated Press

Northern California river floods 2,000 buildings

A Northern California river flooded 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings and left two communities virtual islands after days of stormy weather, officials said Wednesday. The towns of Guerneville and Monte Rio were hardest hit by water pouring from the Russian River, which topped 46 feet (13 meters) late Wednesday night. It hadn’t reached that level for 25 years and wasn’t expected to recede again until late Thursday night.

Related articles:

  • The Press Democrat: Sonoma County: Town-by-town summary of storm effects
  • Sacramento Bee: With ‘atmospheric river’ winding down, flooding risk peaks and snow removal proves tricky
  • Chico Enterprise-Record: Oroville Dam staying low to provide room for wet weather, possible use of reconstructed spillway
  • SFGate: Lake Berryessa’s famous Glory Hole spills over after weeks of rain
  • Associated Press: Storm disrupts Amtrak service
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Aquafornia news February 27, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Widespread flooding across Bay Area forces road closures, evacuations

The Russian River has surpassed flood levels after an extraordinary 48 hours of rainfall, and by Wednesday morning the waters had blocked all roadways into and out of the town of Guerneville. By 6 a.m., all routes out of the 4,500-person town of Guerneville were blocked by the rising water, which was creeping closer to 41 feet — nine more than the flood level of 32 feet — with an additional five feet expected.

Related articles:

  • The Press Democrat: ‘It’s awful out here. We’re an island’: Flood waters cut off Russian River residents
  • ABC10: 24 small towns ordered to evacuate as Russian River approaches flood stage
  • CBS Sacramento: Governor declares state of emergency in local counties due to storms
  • Washington Post: Flood water turns California town into an ‘island’
  • The Weather Channel:Guerneville, California, Completely Cut Off by Flooding, Thousands Evacuated
  • Patch.com: Healdsburg closes downtown streets ‘taking on water’
  • Record Searchlight: Flooding forces south Redding residents to evacuate
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Aquafornia news February 7, 2019 The Press Democrat

County orders up emergency work as Russian River threatens Geyserville’s River Road

With each storm, the rain-swollen Russian River is washing away more of a steep, muddy bank perilously close to River Road near Geyserville, prompting Sonoma County supervisors to approve Tuesday an emergency repair estimated at $250,000. Should the river wipe out the road, about 400 residents of Alexander Valley, a famed wine grape growing area, would be cut off from a connection to Highway 128 leading southwest to Geyserville and Highway 101.

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Aquafornia news January 22, 2019 The Press Democrat

Lake Mendocino now can hold 22 billion gallons of water, most since its creation in 1958

Heavy rains this week left Lake Mendocino, the North Bay region’s second-largest reservoir, with an extra 2 billion gallons of water that until now officials would have been obliged to release into the Russian River and eventually the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to a $10 million program that blends high-tech weather forecasting with novel computer programming, the Army Corps has the latitude to retain an additional 11,650 acre feet of water, and Lake Mendocino has now impounded a little more than half that much.

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Aquafornia news January 14, 2019 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Endangered coho returning to North Bay to spawn in streams, with mixed results

Standing on a stone bridge overlooking Lagunitas Creek in west Marin County, giddy onlookers observed a male coho salmon swimming upstream toward a nesting area guarded by a female. … This year’s salmon spawning season so far appears to be a mixed bag, with some locations, such as Lagunitas Creek, showing robust activity, and others, including the Russian River in Sonoma County, falling short of expectations.

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Aquafornia news December 3, 2018 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Advance in storm forecasting allows Lake Mendocino to hold more winter runoff

Dam operators are planning to store nearly 4 billion extra gallons of water this winter in Lake Mendocino, the reservoir near Ukiah that plays a critical role in providing water for residents, ranchers and fish along the upper Russian River and to communities in Sonoma and Marin counties.

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Aquafornia news November 26, 2018 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

How one man’s quest for a cleaner Russian River turned into a movement

Chris Brokate did not intend to spark a revolution in watershed management when he hauled a load of trash from the Russian River in his weathered Chevy pick-up in 2014. The Forestville man simply spotted a need after winter storms flushed debris from the river’s mouth onto the beach near the coastal community of Jenner.

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Aquafornia news August 3, 2018 Sonoma Magazine

A watershed moment: Advocates join forces to save the Russian River

It has been a beloved summer destination for generations of Northern California families, and a blue ribbon fishery for steelhead and salmon. It has been mined, diverted, and dammed, tapped for its water and used as a sewer. It has rampaged during torrential winter storms and shrunken to a tepid trickle during drought.

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Aquafornia news July 18, 2018 Sonoma Magazine

The Russian River in 40 photographs

To some it’s a source of artistic inspiration. To others it’s an endangered natural wonder in grave need of protection. But to most who make an annual summer pilgrimage to the Russian River — whether for an afternoon’s respite or a week’s true escape — it’s a place to shed worldly concerns and embrace the season’s mandate: relax.

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Aquafornia news July 9, 2018 Water Deeply

How much water do Coho salmon need? Researchers find surprising answer.

In California’s small coastal streams, where hundreds of thousands of Coho salmon once returned each year to spawn, most wild populations now barely cling to survival. Habitat loss and intensive water use have pushed them to the brink; now climate change and increasing competition for water resources could send them over the edge.

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Aquafornia news June 15, 2018 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

$3 million available for Russian River blueprint in voter-approved Proposition 68

Sonoma County is poised to benefit from millions of dollars in parks, water and land conservation funding from the new $4.1 billion state bond measure approved by California voters last week. Proposition 68 will generate at least $400,000 for the county’s Regional Parks system and half that amount for each municipal park district in the county.

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Aquafornia news November 14, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Damage to creeks, water supply analyzed after Sonoma County fires

Public agencies are hopeful that a feverish effort to deploy thousands of straw wattles and other barriers around burned structures, charred hillsides and storm drain inlets prevented some pollution from occurring with storm runoff. But strategic stream testing will help measure their success as water quality engineers and experts gear up for what will be a long-term campaign to protect water resources and restore scorched watersheds into the rainy season and beyond.

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Aquafornia news September 15, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Sonoma County to remove warnings at Russian River beaches

Signs at Russian River beaches warning of the potential for harmful blue-green algae in the water were being taken down Thursday, after tests failed to detect the presence of algae-related toxins in recent weeks. Only highly diluted concentrations of an algae-produced toxin were found in the river this summer even when tests sporadically came back positive, health officials said.

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Aquafornia news August 18, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Russian River cleanup plan to seek fixes for failing septic systems

North Coast water regulators are taking another run at a comprehensive program to prevent bacterial contamination of the Russian River, one that includes provisions likely to have significant impacts for thousands of homeowners dependent on aging septic systems.

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Aquafornia news August 11, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Blue-green algae-related toxin warnings remain at Russian River beaches

The Russian River tested clean this week for a toxin related to blue-green algae that prompted cautionary signs at 10 popular beaches last month and in each of the past two summers. The river remains open to swimming and other recreation.

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Aquafornia news August 2, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Fight over disputed Healdsburg logging plan escalates amid state delay

A cold, clear stream that provides some of the last refuge for wild coho salmon in Sonoma County lies at the center of a dispute over logging plans in the forested hills above Healdsburg.

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Aquafornia news July 27, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Sonoma County issues toxic algae warning for Russian River beaches

Sonoma County officials posted caution signs at beaches up and down the Russian River on Wednesday alerting visitors to positive test results for a potentially dangerous, naturally occurring neurotoxin linked to harmful algae, a problem surfacing around Northern California this summer.

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Aquafornia news July 13, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Monte Rio Beach on Russian River reopened after closure due to bacteria levels

Monte Rio Beach on the lower Russian River was declared safe for swimming and was reopened to the public Wednesday, just in time for a heat wave that’s expected to send temperatures back toward the century mark this weekend.

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Aquafornia news July 7, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Monte Rio Beach on Russian River closed over excessive bacteria levels

Sonoma County health officials have closed Monte Rio Beach on the Russian River to swimming, wading and other activities that would put visitors in direct contact with the water because of elevated bacterial levels in the wake of an extremely busy holiday weekend.

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Aquafornia news January 12, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Russian River crests, North Coast scrambles to clean up

The Russian River surged to its highest level in a decade Wednesday and deepened flooding woes, while across the North Coast, crews in cities as well as rural areas scrambled to re-open roads, clear toppled trees, restore power and bring normalcy back to a region battered by four days of punishing winter storms.

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Aquafornia news January 10, 2017 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Flooding, mudslides force evacuations along rising Russian River

Flooding and mudslides triggered by weekend storms forced evacuations Monday from threatened homes along the Russian River, ahead of a second storm bearing down Tuesday on the North Coast, bringing the potential for several more inches of rain.

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2017 Los Angeles Times

Monday’s Top of the Scroll: Monster storm brings widespread flooding across Northern California; more rain on the way

The most powerful in a series of winter storms lashed Northern California and Nevada on Sunday with heavy rains and strong winds, causing widespread flooding, downing trees and unleashing mudslides.

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Aquafornia news January 9, 2017 Associated Press

Floods force hundreds of evacuations in California, Nevada

Hundreds fled homes as a massive winter storm packing heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning caused mudslides and widespread flooding in Northern California and Nevada.

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Aquafornia news December 16, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle

Rain raises Russian River level to over 20 feet

Heavy rain on Thursday threatened to send the Russian River overflowing its banks and create minor flooding in low-lying areas.

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Aquafornia news November 14, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Public hearings set for Russian River low-flow plan

People who want to give feedback about a plan to cut summertime flows in the Russian River and Dry Creek will have two opportunities to do so in person this week at public hearings.

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Aquafornia news November 3, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

New, $12 million Russian River fish ladder offers glimpse of salmon recovery efforts

A massive concrete structure, built to withstand floods and earthquakes beside the Russian River near Forestville, is the latest step toward restoring the river’s beleaguered salmon and steelhead populations.

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Aquafornia news September 19, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Sonoma County signals possible extension for comment on Russian River flow plan

Interested parties appear likely to get the extra time many have requested to review and comment on some 3,600 pages of study for a plan to permanently reduce summertime flows in the Russian River and Dry Creek to benefit imperiled fish species.

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Aquafornia news September 14, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Critics of proposed low-flows for Russian River blast supervisors

Critics of a permanent plan to curtail summertime flows in the Russian River blasted Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday, with many saying the long-anticipated shift in water management would devastate lower river communities and economies dependent on recreation and tourism.

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Aquafornia news August 29, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Russian River kayak trip launches planning effort around river’s future

Wednesday’s trip from the foot of Lake Mendocino to a ranch south of Ukiah marked the start of the “Headwaters to Ocean Descent,” organized by LandPaths and Russian Riverkeeper and led by Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, with the first three-day float this week and two more segments planned in September and October.

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Aquafornia news August 12, 2016 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

No toxic algae in Russian River, latest tests show

Kelly Bertoli debated Thursday whether to take her dog to the Russian River, where signs at beaches warn visitors about potentially toxic blue-green algae lurking in the water.

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Aquafornia news March 11, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle

Flood watch in North Bay as El Niño storm dumps heavy rain

The first of a pair of storms pounded Northern California on Thursday, bringing heavy bands of rain to the North Bay, causing minor flooding and mudslides, and raising the specter that the flood-prone Russian River might spill its banks.

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Aquafornia news March 2, 2016 Los Angeles Times

California drought restrictions lifted in Russian River area

California regulators have ended mandatory water cutbacks along tributaries of the Russian River, but will continue to require property owners to report how much water they use.

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Aquafornia news December 15, 2015 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Floodwaters subside in Jenner after Russian River punches through sandbar

The mouth of the Russian River is open once again, allowing water that had backed up in the estuary last week, flooding the Jenner Visitor Center and nearby parking lots, to drain to the ocean.

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Aquafornia news October 16, 2015 Bloomberg Businessweek

Mapping America’s disgusting waterways: An Oregon nonprofit works with Google to index trouble spots

Northern California’s Russian River tends to be a pretty sedate blur of sandy beaches and redwood groves, so when Joe Whitworth and his team row a camera-studded green orb down a 60-mile stretch one morning, they catch some long stares.

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Aquafornia news September 1, 2015 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

State plans tighter oversight to stem Russian River pollution

A newly developed plan designed to improve water quality in the Russian River and address fecal bacterial contamination throughout the watershed will have profound ramifications for many North Coast residents, as state regulators target faulty sewage systems and other means through which human and animal waste may be entering waterways.

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Aquafornia news June 11, 2015 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

State floats tighter water regulations to protect Russian River salmon

Thousands of landowners along Sonoma County’s four major coho salmon spawning streams would be required to report their use of water from both surface sources and wells under proposed new state regulations intended to protect the highly endangered fish species.

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Aquafornia news June 10, 2015 Maven's Notebook

Blog: This just in … Proposed emergency regulation in four Russian River tributary watersheds

From the State Water Resources Control Board: “The State Water Resources Control Board has posted a proposed emergency regulation to provide a minimum amount of water in four Russian River tributaries to protect Central California Coast coho salmon and steelhead.”

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Aquafornia news May 26, 2015 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Drought looms over summer Russian River recreation season

There will be less water in the Russian River this summer than last year, a fact that some river-oriented business people don’t want to talk about.

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Aquafornia news November 24, 2014 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Stream protections vs. private property rights in Sonoma County

Sonoma County’s effort to implement one of its most controversial land use policies — protective buffer zones along 3,200 miles of rivers and streams — has reignited a pitched debate between environmental organizations, farmers and private property rights activists about how to best protect and manage waterways throughout the county.

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Aquafornia news October 22, 2014 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

PG&E plan may reduce water flowing into Lake Mendocino

A plan by PG&E to temporarily shut down a powerhouse that feeds water from the Eel River to the Russian River may cut into consumer supplies this winter by further reducing the amount of water coming into Lake Mendocino.

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Tour October 9, 2014 Images from the Russian River tour

Russian River Tour 2014
Field Trip (past)

The 2014 tour took place October 9-10.

This 2-day, 1-night tour travels the Russian River watershed, a microcosm of water management issues in the West.

  • David Keller's presentation
  • Joshua Fuller's presentation
  • Matt Brennan's presentation
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Aquafornia news October 2, 2014 San Francisco Chronicle

Thursday’s Top of the Scroll: State high court OKs water cuts on Russian River to aid salmon

The state Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California regulators to order farmers along the Russian River to reduce cold-weather water sprays that have helped preserve their crops while killing thousands of endangered salmon.

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Aquafornia news September 26, 2014 Santa Rosa Press Democrat

First phase of Dry Creek makeover nears completion

Construction crews that have spent more than two years reconfiguring a mile-long stretch of Dry Creek outside Healdsburg are about to mark completion of the critical first leg of what, by 2020, is to be a six-mile project designed to create new habitat for threatened and endangered fish.

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Video May 27, 2014

A Climate of Change: Water Adaptation Strategies

This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an excellent overview of climate change and how it is already affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are underway to plan and adapt to climate.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

California Water Map, Spanish

Spanish language version of our California Water Map

Versión en español de nuestro mapa de agua de California

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Photo gallery May 15, 2014

Images from the Russian River tour

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Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Aquapedia background February 11, 2014

Russian River

The Russian River is one of the major northern streams that drain the sparsely populated, forested coastal area that stretches from San Francisco to the Oregon border.

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Western Water Excerpt May 1, 2009 Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

A Tale of Two Rivers: The Russian and the Santa Ana
May/June 2009

Travel most anywhere in California and there is a river, creek or stream nearby. Some are highly noticeable and are an integral part of the community. Others are more obscure, with intermittent flows or enclosed by boxed concrete flood channels that conceal their true appearance. No matter the loca­tion, each area shares some common themes: cooperation and conflict regarding water allocations, greater water conservation, an awareness of environmental stewardship, and plans that ensure long-term sustainability.

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Western Water Magazine May 1, 2009

A Tale of Two Rivers: The Russian and the Santa Ana
May/June 2009

This printed issue of Western Water examines the Russian and Santa Ana rivers – areas with ongoing issues not dissimilar to the rest of the state – managing supplies within a lingering drought, improving water quality and revitalizing and restoring the vestiges of the native past.

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