Newsletters

North Coast Regional Board releases study on lower Russian River toxins….

“When fish swim in waters tainted with antidepressant drugs, they become anxious, anti-social and sometimes even homicidal.  New research has found that the pharmaceuticals, which are frequently showing up in U.S. streams, can alter genes responsible for building fish brains and controlling their behavior.” (Brian Bienkowski, Environmental Health News, June 12, 2013), and…

“Baby mice exposed in the womb to low doses-but not high doses- of bisphenol A (a known endocrine disruptor) were fatter and had metabolic changes linked to obesity and diabetes, according to a new study published Thursday.” (Brian Bienkowski, Enviornmental Health News, July 25, 2013) More »

The dominant event since our last mailer, designated the greatest wildfire in California history, is estimated to have caused damages of around $3 billion and counting.  The fire burned about 114,000 acres, starting on the evening of Oct. 9th. Many people had only minutes to escape their houses. The largest of three fires in Sonoma County (Tubbs), and most damaging, started around Calistoga and within about a four-hour period, traveled roughly 14 miles through the Mark West area and crossed the six-lane freeway into Coffey Park in Northwest Santa Rosa.  Fires were not 100% contained until Oct. 31^st. More »

Pathogen TMDL: Guerneville meeting coming up soon!

Two regulatory actions currently proposed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board will soon have a significant impact on the lives of many river property owners: they are the Russian River Watershed Pathogen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Action Plan (Action Plan) and the Basin Plan Amendment. More »

Agencies now responding to comments on low flow project…..
On March 10, 2017, when RRWPC submitted our comments on the 3600-page Fish Flow Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR on low flow), a huge burden was lifted from our shoulders and shifted to the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) staff who then began their written responses to the issues raised and questions asked about the project intended to permanently lower summer flows in the Russian River. (Final responses from the agency probably won’t be out for over a year.) More »