Rue Furch on Russian River Outfall

Russian River Outfall
By Rue Furch, Candidate for the 5th
Using the Russian River for wastewater discharge is counter productive to our efforts to protect this precious resource.

For so many years, we have worked to preserve the Russian River for all of its critical benefits. I want to let you know of my concerns about the current plan to use the Russian River for disposing of treated wastewater from the Llano Road Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Having lived and raised my family in Forestville and Guerneville for 15 of my 38 years in Sonoma County, the River is very important to me. I’ve seen it from every perspective -- from the beach, the water, and from above. Protecting the river and its beaches is the same as protecting the health of everyone who swims in it and drinks its water, and it is the lifeblood of our tourism economy. The positions I have taken as a Planning Commissioner, my work on committees that established (and still protect) urban growth boundaries and promote responsible water use, and my efforts to strengthen the Russian River Watershed Council -- all demonstrate that protecting the Russian River is one of my top priorities.

Having lived through floods and various wastewater “incidents”, I also know the environmental and economic costs of cleanups, and the frustration of knowing that upstream mistakes create downstream chaos.

Now I’m especially worried about the proposed pipe for carrying treated wastewater to an outfall site just below Steelhead Beach County Park. The County acquired Steelhead Beach Park to provide public recreation and preserve and restore wildlife habitat, not for wastewater disposal.

One problem is that structures for protecting the proposed 48-inch disposal pipe are likely to obstruct fishing access, in spite of official denials. Of great concern are the levels of chemicals -- such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and fertilizers -- in the wastewater. Scientific studies have shown that wastewater pollutants do not simply mix into river water and float away. Over time, they collect in the river sediments that people walk through and that fish dig into. I have also read studies about bioaccumulation in fish, that are alarming given recreational and tourism fishing is one of the river values.

Many other beaches and recreation areas lie downstream from the proposed location of the wastewater outfall pipe. On a recent Friday, I noticed that the Steelhead Beach parking lot was full of cars at 5 PM, and many people were fishing or playing in the river downstream from the planned outfall site. Once the wastewater pipe goes in, how can we be sure that people recreating downstream will not be exposed to unhealthy conditions?

And what of preserving habitat? The wastewater pipe will damage the Park’s well-used Osprey Trail through riverside forest. From what is now a 2-way footpath barely 10 feet wide, much of the trail will become a 30-ft-wide paved maintenance road, eliminating many trees and other riverside vegetation, then will cut a swath through undisturbed woodland to reach the river. In places, the maintenance road will likely replace half the vegetation that now screens the trail from River Road, and it will eliminate the possibility of building future recreational facilities at several designated sites.

Removing riverside vegetation removes the primary protection a river has against pollution from eroded sediment, and paving lowers the amount of groundwater the soil can absorb. Such a large proportion of riverside vegetation has been removed along the Russian River already that we can ill afford this loss.

I have consistently raised all these concerns as I have worked for you -- the people who live and work in western Sonoma County. I will continue to oppose this project in order to protect the Russian River and its riverside habitat, because we all need the clean water and flood protection they provide us. Let’s also not forget the need to preserve the River’s appeal to tourists, who support so many West County businesses and jobs. We need a clean, healthy Russian River.

You can let me know your thoughts on this or other important issues at rue@ruefurch.com or check my website: www.ruefurch.com.