Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Sonoma Group Report Suzanne Doyle | |
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Water Planning Recently, many of the environmental issues in Sonoma County have involved water planning by the county and cities. Some issues have come up because the county is engaged in updating its General Plan and others simply because we are approaching some of the limits to water resources in our area. No sooner was the Geysers pipeline finished and wastewater from Santa Rosa began flowing through it, rather than into the Russian River, than the city announced that it needed to plan for 6 billion gallons/day more of wastewater by 2020. The cheapest option suggested - and the one supported by most of the City Council - was again to dump partly treated wastewater into the Russian River. This option may be affected by the California Toxics Rule, taking effect in 2005, which would require more purification for wastewater released into the environment. In January the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) announced a plan to reduce summer water flow in the Russian River by up to 75% in order to encourage salmon spawning. There has been a lot of community uproar at this: from people living along the river who are worried that it will impact them economically, and from environmentalists who point out that levels of pollution in the river will rise when the water is less diluted. More biological reports will be released in 2004 by the SCWA and federal agencies, as well as a separate study commissioned by critics of the plan. The unknown and unregulated state of groundwater in the county was brought up during discussions of the General Plan Water Element. In many parts of the county the water table has been dropping noticeably. The Board of Supervisors is now considering a rule that would require a new building project using well-water to prove that its source of water is sufficient before permits are issued. The Sonoma Group has formulated a position on groundwater, asking that this resource be studied and quantified and included in the General Plan. The groundwater position can be found online at http://redwood.sierraclub.org/sonoma/ under Conservation Committee. An excellent forum on groundwater was presented on February 18th by the Events Committee. Forest and Tiger Salamander Protection Another part of the General Plan under discussion has been the Timber Harvesting Element, for which the Sonoma Group has been strongly promoting Option Three. Option Three would protect 194,000 acres of redwood and Douglas fir forest which are zoned for rural and resource development. It would prohibit changing the zoning of this land to industrial development, the designation which allows vineyards. Although the wine business is in a slump right now, it is estimated that the owners of 3,000 to 10,000 acres of forest land are interested in converting their land to vineyards when economic times are right. The Board of Supervisors will be making final decisions on all elements of the General Plan soon, probably this summer. Help support Option Three by sending letters to the Planning Commission and to the Editor of the Press Democrat (see sample below.) The cities of Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park have joined development interests in a lawsuit to challenge the federal listing of the California tiger salamander (CTS) as endangered. The tiger salamander's habitat in Sonoma County is mostly in the plain around the Laguna de Santa Rosa, but its few known breeding sites are in a vernal pool area in southwest Santa Rosa which is coming into conflict with development projects. The Sonoma Group is backing the petition of the Center for Biological Diversity which asks that the state Fish and Game Commission list the CTS as endangered. What You Can Do: To show support for the Endangered Species Act and for protection of the tiger salamander in Sonoma County, ask the city councils of Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park to drop out of this lawsuit, or write a letter to the Editor of the Press Democrat (address at bottom of page). Santa Rosa City Council
Rohnert Park City Council
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What You Can Do to Support Option Three: We are beginning the second phase of our "Protect Our Forests" Campaign. The first phase was successful because the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended Option Three to the Planning Commission. Option Three protects 194,000 acres of forests in Sonoma County from being converted to vineyards or other agricultural uses. Which option the Board of Supervisors decides on, is the one that will be included in the new General Plan update for SonomaCounty. Now phase two needs to be started since the Planning Commission will be deciding in June which option to recommend to the Board of Supervisors. Letters to the planning commission and letters to the editor of the Press Democrat are key elements of this phase. Sample Letter (or e-mail to: maddybrook@sonoma-county.org): Sonoma County Planning Commission
Dear Sonoma County Planning Commissioners, On behalf of Sonoma County's remaining forests, I urge you to follow the recommendation of the General Plan Citizen's Advisory Committee to adopt OPTION THREE on the issue of Timber Conversions. This option would extend protection to over 194,000 acres of timberland that is in the RRD (Resource and Rural Development) Land Use category and prevent it from being converted to other land uses. Protecting our remaining forest ecosystems is a crucial and integral part of maintaining the overall ecological health of Sonoma County's future. While I recognize the importance, and support the maintenance, of viable lands suitable for agricultural uses, there are already many protections for agriculture within the existing General Plan under agricultural zoning designations. I firmly believe that agricultural and forest protection can coexist while protecting remaining forestland against further harmful development. The protection of our remaining forest ecosystems is a crucial and integral part of maintaining the overall ecological health of our future. The protection of Sonoma County's forestlands is as critical to humans as it is to the wildlife that depends on them for sustenance. Sincerely,
Letters to the Press Democrat can be sent to:
email: letters@pressdemocrat.com Please urge your fellow citizens to contact the Planning Commission in support of Option Three. Details you can include appear in the Sample Letter above. You can also inform them that more information is available at www.redwood.sierraclub.org/sonoma, where this entire article is posted. |