2008 Letter to our Members

To the DCVA Membership:

It is hard to imagine that any of you have missed the ongoing concerns about the purity and availability of water not only in Dry Creek but throughout California. As you are also aware the Dry Creek Valley Association's mission is to protect and enhance our natural resources including its watershed. We are fortunate that among our membership there are a number of experts on environmental and water issues and that a contingent of those, including a number with PhDs, are on our Natural Resource Committee. Despite busy careers they devote countless hours on our behalf ferreting out the details of environmental studies and the Sonoma County's Water Association's (SCWA) decisions affecting what comes through our faucets and soaks into our fields.

We must be ready to respond to reports that will effect all three Northern Sonoma agricultural valleys. These include projects that could have serious consequences and that are likely to disrupt the water in Dry Creek itself, our groundwater aquifers, and our wells. EIRs or key policy documents are required for:

State Water Board Recycled Water Policy
North Sonoma County Agricultural Reuse Project - Final EIR
Santa Rosa Direct Discharge Draft EIR
Aggregate Resource Plan Extension - Final EIR

In order to have a stronger voice and to leverage the work/costs associated with responding to these EIR's and policy documents the DCVA Board has joined the Clean Water Coalition, a multi-group organization, that is hiring technical experts to support the necessary analyses. Its goal is to ensure that water infrastructure projects protect and preserve the natural resources, agriculture, and scenic character of Northern Sonoma County. An equitable fund is being requested from the three agricultural valleys most impacted by the coming water-use decisions in order to pay for the necessary technical analyses and expert witness support.

Additionally, the DCVA Board has hired a hydro-geologist to prepare a baseline water balance study, specific to the Dry Creek Valley (note: Alexander Valley completed a similar study in 2007). This study will address the potential quality and quantify groundwater resource impacts of two projects proposed by the SCWA: (a) North Sonoma County Agricultural Reuse Project (NSCARP) and (b) a Dry Creek bypass pipeline to replace existing in-channel conveyance of releases from Warm Spring Dam. Translation: the possibility of wastewater on our grapes and Dry Creek becoming dry again.

To help fund the development of scientifically sound responses that analyze and discern precisely proposed actions that threaten the environmental health of our valley, the DCVA Board has established a "Legacy Fund" to build resources that will be available for this essential work but also for projects that benefit the valley and enhance our sense of community. We ask you to consider pledging to ensure a 'legacy' to your beloved valley. If you would like further details, please visit the 'News & Views' section of our website and look under "Water, Woods & Wildlife". If you would like to respond on our Blog click on: Member Blog.

Sincerely,

Your DCVA Board of Directors

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry