Posted March 27, 2008

SPEAK UP ABOUT WASTEWATER DISCHARGE IN ALEXANDER VALLEY - Public Hearing April 3rd

WHAT:   Public Hearing on Santa Rosa’s Discharge Compliance Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
WHEN:   Thursday, April 3, 5:00 pm
WHERE:  City Council Chamber, Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.
WHY:   Make sure the City Council and Board of Public Utilities hear why Alexander Valley opposes dumping wastewater into the Russian River.

After 18 months of study, Santa Rosa has finally released the DEIR for their Discharge Compliance Project.   All six volumes of reports are available online:

http://ci.santarosa.ca.us/departments/
utilities/
irwp/discharge/Pages/
schedule.aspx

First, the good news:  

1. Improving treatment in the Laguna is the Environmentally Superior Alternative.
2. Of the river discharge options, Steelhead Beach (D1) has the fewest water quality issues.
3. Our local site on West Soda Rock Lane (D4) is the most problematic.   It would create contamination risk for Healdsburg’s municipal water wells and “expose the public to chemicals in concentrations detrimental to human health.”

Now, the bad news:

The Alexander Valley site is still on the table. If the other sites prove infeasible for technical or political reasons, pump stations, cooling towers, and treatment plants could be located in Alexander Valley near the discharge site.   This would require 4 miles of new high voltage power lines along Alexander Valley Road to West Soda Rock Lane.

Impacts to specific non-municipal wells have not been adequately studied.  Only a generic and superficial analysis has been done. 

Despite lots of recent press about pharmaceuticals in wastewater, the DEIR claims that “effluent from the Laguna plan does not contain significant amounts of estrogenic chemicals.”   “Available information regarding non-regulated chemical contaminants is therefore considered too speculative to determine the significance of impacts.” There could be serious threats to the safety of our water supply and to wildlife habitat in the river.

Neighbors of the other sites will likely be out in force at the public hearing.  It’s important that we turn out and voice our concerns directly to the decisionmakers.

Questions about the project or the DEIR?   Ask Dave Ring, dhring@gmail.com.
Want to rideshare on April 3?   Contact Stu Harrison, stu.harrison@gmail.com.  If there’s enough interest, he’ll arrange for a bus.

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2008

If you have any events you would like us to add to our Calendar, please let us know! Email us at info@ava.com.
Please note: Events will be added at the discretion of the Board.

 

JUNE
June 7th & 8th
Alexander Valley Winegrowers
Taste of the Valley
Details at: www.alexandervalley org

JULY

AUGUST
August 3rd - Sunday at Noon.
AVA Annual Picnic - Details to come!

August 29th, 30th & 31st - Friday thru Sunday
Sonoma Winery Country Weekend - For details click here.

 

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER