To All,
It appears that the City of Santa Rosa, through participation in the Water Advisory Committee, is (unknowingly) participating in a process related to position take by a group called the “Salmon Coalition” – where this process is not only detrimental to watercourses in Sonoma County, the process is in direct competition with the water needs of the City of Santa Rosa.
THERE IS A VOTE ON THIS ITEM AT THE WAC (Water Advisory Committee) MEETING MARCH 3 – WHERE CITY OF SANTA ROSA REPRESENTATIVES WILL ATTEND
If you would take the time to pay attention to information in this document – and – read on, you will understand the implications of this complicated relationship.
1) The “Salmon Coalition” is engaged in, with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Department of Fish and Game, and hired biologists, assessment of stream conditions in the Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, and Knights Valley. No conditions for stream protection, or related standards for same, are on the table as of yet. Stream assessment shows a number of limiting factors which include, numerous unauthorized diversions limiting critical stream flow for fish, impaired near stream environment, lack of shade, fish blockage, and impaired hydrologic conditions.
2) The State Water Board has proffered new proposed policy for the maintenance of instream flows and to deal with the hundreds of unauthorized and un-permitted diversions in the areas noted above, and thousands of same in the north coast region. This action was mandated by AB 2121.
3) Salmon Coalition members and those who went to Washington DC to support the Salmon Coalitin position that the State proposed policy to Maintain Instream Flows should go away or be altered to in effect by unenforceable (as many state programs to protect streams are).
4) Though the owners of these unauthorized and un-permitted dams and diversion want their water and are not inclined to support instream flow policy, such policy is to the benefit of the City of Santa Rosa. Hundreds and hundreds of cumulative and unauthorized diversions make less water available to the City of Santa Rosa. Thus, the City, in effect, is support the “Salmon Coalition” to the detriment of its own water needs and the needs of salmon and other aquatic life.
5) The City of Santa Rosa should get on the ball and not support those who can not fallow the law and who would actively and illegally take water away from streams that are tributaries of the Russian River. The City of Santa Rosa should widthdaw any support of the “Salmon Coalition” policy that does not support instream flows. Supporting a process that de-waters streams that flow into the Russian River seem a little counter intuitive.
Alan