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Sonoma County Gazette, March 2010

Water Issue Update

by Brenda Adelman

We’ve had a lot of rain this winter, or at least a normal amount.  We should be relieved of worrying about next summer’s river flows, right?   Wrong!

More money for less water….
Santa Rosa ratepayers did an outstanding job conserving water use last summer.  In fact, they did such a great job, their fees will be going up 8% for each of the next two years in order to compensate for the 20% increase in water delivery charges by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA).  Furthermore, the City may then have access to additional water supplies to use for new growth, if that ever happens, should another shortage be declared.

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Sonoma County Gazette, December 2010

Low Flow Project becomes “Fish Flow Project”

by Brenda Adelman

Public Environmental Review Process to Begin….
SCWA is now beginning the environmental review process needed to petition the State Water Board to PERMANENTLY lower flows to 70 cubic feet per second (cfs), a 45% decrease from what is normally a minimum of 125 cfs. Decision 1610 (D1610) is the State Law they expect to alter.

In order to fulfill requirements of California and national environmental law, SCWA as lead agency is legally required to conduct a public review of their proposal.  The Notice of Preparation (NOP) is the first step in this process for  the newly named “Fish Habitat Flows and Water Rights Project” and was released September 29, 2010.  Comments are due by Nov. 15, 2010.

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Sonoma County Gazette, June 2010

SCWA Separates Low Flow and Estuary Projects for EIR

by Brenda Adelman

Low Flow Back Again….
Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma are the fullest they have been in years and everyone is sighing relief at the expectation of having normal water supplies this year.  Folks are grateful that this will be a summer when gardens can be watered without guilt.  But sorry, the lower river is expected to get low flow again anyway!

This article is being written as the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) waits to hear from the State Water Board about their Temporary Emergency Petition to lower flows between May 1 and October 15, 2010.  The Biological Opinion (BO) required filing the Petition.   In fact, the BO requires that they file for a temporary petition every year until the permanent change to Decision 1610 is approved, which may be seven or more years from now.   SCWA had filed “emergency” petitions in 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2009.

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Sonoma Co. Gazette, July 2010

Low Flow or Natural Flow: Both Controlled by Water Agency
by Brenda Adelman

Response to NMFS:

As lead author of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Biological Opinion, Dr. William Hearn wrote a lengthy article entitled, “Why Change Summer Flows in the Russian River?”, in last month’s issue of the Sonoma County Gazette (page 1 of 6-3-10 issue).  He  defended the Biological Opinion’s requirement to maintain low flows in the Russian River this summer and from now on.  The article can be found on this paper’s website at

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Test Event under construction

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Sonoma County Gazette, August 2010

No Low Flow so far…

By Brenda Adelman

Summer flows in the lower river have been much higher than anticipated so far, averaging almost 200 cubic feet per second (cfs), rather than the 70-85 cfs authorized by the State Water Board in their Temporary Urgency Change Order.  (This is government-speak meaning: We are taking away substantial amounts of your surface water on short notice without environmental review.)

Interestingly, some believe that the major motivator for designating lowered flows in the river’s main stem to begin with, is to compensate for the lack of tributary flows resulting from the State’s ineffective regulation of agricultural water rights permits and the subsequent need to “quickly” rescue the rapidly declining salmonid fishery.  In other words, it’s a much easier process to lower flows, close the Estuary, and delay taking on controversial water rights conflicts that supported the fishery decline in the first place.

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