RRWPC‘s 45 year history of advocating for a clean lower Russian River environment has led to the accumulation of a great number of boxes filled with documents, old newspapers, and memorabilia about the river and our work.
Lately, we have taken on the task of wading through it and (hopefully) releasing. much of it into the recycle bin. We find it so hard to throw out all these memories however, but we are getting old and must be realistic about this paper mountain we have accumulated. Furthermore, the times have been rapidly changing, and younger generations will soon be called on to create a new world Yet, there is still more for us to do and we will do it as long as we can. Thank you for hanging in there with us!
Document surfaces spelling out extent of RRCSD’s breakdowns…..Recently we came across a concise document describing the major causes of RRCSD’s excessive spillage problems. We don’t think this type of document would have been available before RRWPC began its incessant haranguing of officials about all the relatively major sewage spills. It was written two years ago but we recently saw it for the first time and is entitled: “Russian River County Sanitation District Headworks, Lift Stations, and Force Mains Project Report”, dated April 2023 and written by West Yost. Earlier we had obtained a large study of Lift Stations by the same engineers, but this was a concise version for the public and others concerned about this issue. We provide some highlights here that may be of interest to you, as it verifies most of the problems noted in many of our prior letters.
First major pipeline rupture 11 years ago….Big problems began in 2014 when ”….one of the District’s force mains ruptured due to internal corrosion and leakage. In November, 2021 two additional leaks were discovered – one near the same location of the 2014 failure, and one occurring nearly a mile and a half away on another force main segment. While these leaks were repaired, the District is concerned that other vulnerabilities may exist among the remainder of the infrastructure throughout the wastewater network.” (emphasis added) (Force mains are the pipelines that are under pressure in close proximity to the lift stations and allow for gravity movement of the waste. There are about six miles of pressure pipes and about 30 miles of regular pipes of various sizes.)
“Regional Hydrology, Geology, Topography and Groundwater….” describes the following,
“…..a majority of the District’s infrastructure exists at approximately 40 to 50 feet above mean sea level….the Project area has seen frequent flooding as the Russian River can reach elevations above 40 feet.” (RRWPC’s letters and papers have asserted frequently over the years that the worst floods in the lower river occur when the river exceeds 42’. There have been about six major floods in the forty years since the treatment plant was opened in 1983. Most of those events were accompanied by RRCSD’s large sewage spills .)
“The composition of the geology in the Project area creates risks for liquefaction in the event of seismic activity.” ( In other words, the ground can shake like jello and facilities can collapse. This also puts the river at great risk for spills of heavily polluting substances.) “…a majority of the infrastructure in the Project exists within areas classified as “High” to “Very High” liquefaction susceptibility…..the District is planning to mitigate risks of liquefaction by incorporating materials suitable for seismic resiliency.”
With all of these scenarios, the big question is when will these improvements be made and what do we do in the meantime? According to the consultants, the cost of the entire project to repair pipelines, lift stations, and headworks comes to over $44 million. The State was going to grant half of the funds, but then pulled back for at least a year because of State budget problems (and that was before the Southern California fires.)
Move toward hooking up Monte Rio & Villa Grande to RRCSD, now appears on back burner…..There are two statements in the aforementioned document that indicate that hookup of the two communities to RRCSD, have now been put on a back burner, perhaps forever.
The two statements appear on page 6 of the above mentioned document.
- Though the District will be making varying levels of improvements to the infrastructure within the facilities discussed, additional flow into the system is not anticipated. And
- The largest unincorporated area served by the District is Guerneville, with a population of nearly 5,000 people. The District expects number of system users to remain the same. (emphasis added)
This is highly significant because at the beginning, and for as much as five years, committee members (Citizen’s Advisory Group or CAG), County and Water Agency officials and staff and Regional Board representatives, seemed all committed to using Guerneville as the source for a central sewer for the two communities. The reason behind the need was the theory that septic waste from those communities was polluting the Russian River in the summer during high use recreation period. But they never proved that E. coli, the bacteria of greatest concern, was polluting the river in summer, We have data taken at Johnson’s and Monte Rio and other nearby beaches that shows, over a period of 15 years, that while there is virtually no E. coli pollution, there is acknowledged concern that nonetheless, septic systems are polluting the local environment and needed to be upgraded. A study of the communities showed that over half the parcels could not comply with new septic system requirements that have recently been put forth.
Hearing on Sewer Fee Increase….RRCSD Fees going up to $2,486 per “equivalent single family dwellings (esd’s)” (Both individual houses and other property owners will see this fee on October property tax. Partial esd fees are applied to some apartments, restaurants, and businesses.) If you own more than one property, you will be billed the amount above, times the number of houses you own. A fee hearing on these charges will take place on May 13, 2025 at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting room at 575 Administration Drive in Santa Rosa.
While this is one of the most expensive rates in the County, and RRWPC urges you to speak out about it, nevertheless, it has been very hard to get funds for needed repairs and it is extremely important to have a properly functioning and legally complying system, not to mention one that works all the time. (Some of the funds may be penalty payment for large 2019 spill. Furthermore, fiscal circumstances are precarious now and State funds have been withheld because of large budget shortfalls.
RRCSD Sanitation Rate Relief Program…Ratepayers in the RRCSD should have received two notices about this program from the Sonoma County Water Agency. We quote here from the “Spring, 2025 News”
“The Sanitation Rate Relief Program provides a discount on sewer service bills for low-income property owners within the district……discounts can reduce the annual sewage charge on your property tax bill by up to 50%.” Applications are due by July 10th and must be renewed annually. You must submit the application from Sonoma Water with your most recent PGE bill to show participation in CARE Program, and copy of Property Tax Statement to prove home ownership. People should sign up for rate relief as soon as possible but July 10th is the deadline.
You can apply at: SonomaWater.org/SRRP
There is also a Water Rebate program for people who own property in Santa Rosa. For more information view: https://www.srcity.org/834/Rebates-Services or call 707-543-3985
RRWPC needs your continued support! Donor contributions sustain our independent river protection work and are badly needed now. Furthermore, we inform our community about topics not usually covered in local newspapers. We rely exclusively on five or six mailers a year to supporters for our entire fiscal support. We are primarily a volunteer organization and appreciate any amount you can contribute. Donations may be sent via mailed check (with card and envelope provided) or by using PayPal at our website (www.rrwpc.org).