REDWOOD NEEDLES

Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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Sierra Club Files Suit to Stop In-Stream Gravel Mining in Russian River

By Margaret Pennington, Redwood Chapter Chair

Sierra Club and POWR! (Protect our Water Resources, a citizen's coalition) filed suit in Sonoma County Superior Court September 17, 2001 seeking a preliminary injunction of Shamrock Material's plan to mine 150,000 tons of gravel from bars in the Russian River south of Cloverdale and requesting that the Board of Supervisor's decision to permit the project be overturned.

The suit claims that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisor's violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by approving the Shamrock permit without an Environmental Impact Report. The Board approved Shamrock's application based on a Program Environmental Impact Report conducted for the Aggregate Resources Mining plan done back in 1994. Sierra Club and POWR! Contend that a lot of things have changed since 1994, including the listing of the Coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

On August 14, 2001, the Board approved a Shamrock proposal to conduct in-stream gravel mining on 13 separate parcels totally 86.7 acres in the Cloverdale area. The Shamrock proposal involves removal of gravel on the upstream end of major bars, rather than downstream end only as specified in the Aggregate Resources Management Plan. This risky strategy could cause significant changes in the river's hydrodynamics and lead to increased streambed and streambank erosion, both upstream and downstream from the gravel operations.

The board approved this major gravel operation and change in mining technique without requiring an environmental impact report. Instead, modest restrictions that will have no real mitigating effect were imposed and the adverse impacts were downgraded to a status of "insignificance."

Studies show a dramatic decline in groundwater levels in the vicinity of past gravel mining operations. There is strong evidence that this proposal will likewise cause further loss of groundwater storage. These declines harm adjacent domestic and agricultural users and contribute to dewatering of riparian areas resulting in loss of vegetative cover and fish and wildlife habitat.

The goals of the suit are to secure a precedent that 1) an EIR is required for in-stream gravel mining because of its severe adverse environmental impacts, and 2) in-stream gravel mining is inherently damaging to the riverine and riparian environment, in violation of the Sonoma County General Plan.

The lawsuit will argue that an EIR should have been prepared for the Shamrock proposal because it may cause significant effects on the environment. Additionally, the Shamrock proposal disregards numerous policies and objectives of the Sonoma County General Plan which essentially forbids harm to riverine and riparian habitat, fish and wildlife.

It's the duty of the Supervisors to uphold the General Plan. In voting to approve this proposal, four of the five Supervisors (Kelly, Kerns, Cale and Smith) sidestepped their obligation to protect the Russian River. (Mike Reilly voted to oppose the permit.)

The County may argue that this project will not harm the environment because only "surplus" gravel will be removed. The fact is, decades of abusive gravel mining practices have left the river in an extremely degraded condition. Mining has created a huge deficit in the Russian River's "gravel budget," a substantial drop in riverbed elevations, and a significant loss of groundwater storage capacity in adjacent aquifers.

With three listed salmonid species in the Russian River and 500,000 people depending on a healthy river for their naturally filtered water, it's time to think seriously about restoring the river and aquifer rather than continuing the degraded status quo.

Alternatives to Russian River gravel exist. For example, the Yuba River would benefit from removal of massive gravel deposits - the remnants of past destructive placer and hydraulic gold mining operations. It's time to get gravel mining out of our River.

You can help support the lawsuit with your tax deductible contribution to Redwood Chapter Foundation - Gravel , mail to P.O. Box 466, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Or try your luck &endash; buy raffle tickets to benefit POWR! Litigation Fund

In association with Marty Griffin and the Friends of the Russian River,

POWR! is raffling off a getaway weekend for two on beautiful Belvedere

Lagoon and in San Francisco. The prize includes:

· Two Nights on the Beautiful Shoreline of Belvedere Lagoon

· Ferry Ride to San Francisco

· Brunch at the Carnelian Room

· Dinner at the S.F. Yacht Club

$5 a ticket or 5 tix for $20 - Call 707-782-1038 for raffle info.

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