Page 38 - Sonoma County Gazette - June 2018

Sonoma County Waste has $99.00 dump runs and will recycle 70% of it... often to charity! www.sonomawaste.com $49.00 to remove a sofa or mattress.
My husband loves cars
so at the risk of being a hypocrite...why all the broken downs cars in Graton? Are they your collection item or are they our junk? Did you know you can donate your car, boat, motorcycle and RV for charity? Great programs like Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club and the Humane Society all except donations, offer free pick
Ombudsman Hired to Assist Septic Owners & Operators in Lower River Communities
Spring Cleaning
My house has been a flurry of activity as we prepared for not one but two graduations! We held one great big party inviting friends and family from all over. What a wonderful time to connect and celebrate. As I cleaned, planted, mowed, weed whacked, painted and did dump runs, I was hyper conscious of how everything looked. I have an older house and sometimes feel self- conscious about the long list of home improvements that never seem to get done. We worked every night after work and several weekends so when last weekend, I drove through town to find a mattress laying in the street. The week before it was a sofa sectional and the week before that another mattress. What is going on? I appreciate a good spring cleaning AND I can understand that not everyone has access to a vehicle for dump runs BUT it’s not an excuse to make your garbage other people’s responsibility.
Did you know that Recology Waste provides the following to
• Residential customers receive 4 free pickups per year (7 bags or 1 large item • Up to 3 yards of materials per pickup
• There is a charge for Freon appliances such as freezers, refrigerators, AC, etc.
In partnership with the County of Sonoma, the Gold Ridge and Sonoma Resource Conservation Districts have hired an ombudsman to provide residents of the lower Russian River with assistance and support regarding changing septic system regulations.
Septic systems, also known as Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS), have been in the news quite a bit lately. In order to combat pathogen pollution concerns, State policies have been updated and County standards
for OWTS are being revised. These revisions will change the way OWTS are regulated in Sonoma County, and you may be wondering how the changes will affect you.
While the regulations are still evolving, neighborhoods and communities in the lower Russian River area will be affected in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, making sense of all the laws, manuals and acronyms is no easy task – and for the many residents who depend on OWTS,
it can be hard to know where to start. To that end,
there is now a resource that is dedicated to providing
communities with resources and support regarding
the OWTS issue.
residential customers?
David Wood was recently hired as the Lower
Russian River Ombudsman. Ombudsmen are hired to
work in a variety of institutions – from governmental
to educational to private organizations – but their
essential function is to provide unbiased assistance
to individuals with concerns about a specific issue.
As a non-regulatory, informational resource, David’s
job is to assist residents of the lower Russian River
area with OTWS related issues. Specifically, David
can help with questions about regulations, provide
confidential information to residents about their
septic systems and identify grants and other financial assistance opportunities to help them with upgrades or improvements. David will also be tracking other issues related to water quality in the lower Russian River, so that he can help interested residents learn more about how OWTS fit into the larger picture. If you live in the lower Russian River area, David can help.
David can be reached by phone at 707-806-4723 or by email
at david@goldridgercd.org. He has drop-in office hours on Wednesdays between 3:00pm and 7:00pm, and on Thursdays between 9:00am and 12:00pm. He is available on other business days and Saturdays by appointment and will be attending local meetings and community events related to this issue. His office is located at 9925 Main Street, Monte Rio, CA 95462, next to the Monte Rio Amphitheater. If you have an upcoming community event or neighborhood meeting that you would like David to attend, please contact him.
FOLLOW-UP to GCSD Community Meeting
You can also bring your unwanted but still useable items to the Goodwill, Hospice and many more
non-profits. The NEXTDOOR app is a great way to get quick or one times services done like clean-up. Let’s respect each other, the neighborhood and the environment by properly disposing of our stuff.
FOLLOW-UP to Purple Wine Estates Application for Use Permit
At the April 18 Community Public Outreach Meeting staff from Graton Community Services District described the District’s financial situation and
a possible revenue-generating project, treating wastewater from Occidental County Services District. Early public comments have indicated that while a revenue-raising proposal as described is preferable to raising rates, there is strong sentiment by some residents that the receiving point should not be in a residential area. District staff has begun to identify other locations in industrial or commercial areas as alternatives to an early proposal to have tankers discharge at Lift Station No. 1, located about a quarter mile north of Graton Road off Ross Road.
I talked briefly with Aaron Webb, President of Purple Wine Estates. We have a full interview and facility tour scheduled for June 5th. Aaron has agreed to hear and answer questions from the community so if you would like to have your questions included please submit via e-mail butlersjennifer@gmail.com
by 6/4. My July article will include the interview. For now, Aaron did want to make clear that while the use permit was submitted to cover a broad scope of projects they have no plan to develop to the full possibility of the application.
They are in process of submitting a revision which is a phase plan that does not increase production. Their idea is to transition into different activities for the facility. Some demands will go away and replaced by others. They are not seeking additional resources for sewer, water or waste water. Aaron says that they are focused on “figuring out a way to bring more ambiance than just a tasting room for spirits and how to make the facility more compelling to the consumer” They are seeking the best way for the consumer to interact with the brand while creating positives for Graton.
Staff has identified a few other locations and made some initial contacts as
to the feasibility of those sites as receiving points. The responses have been favorable to the concept, but there are many details to be worked out including the pros and cons of each location.
In the meantime, I was notified that the project was reassigned to a company that provides support to PRMD Planning. They have confirmed that the project applicant has indicated their intent to submit revisions to the project in the near future, though there is no firm date on when that may occur. Permit Sonoma has received both letters in support and opposition to this project.
The next steps are to conduct further community meetings closer to the tentative discharge points and to invite comments from nearby residents, businesses, and property owners. Meeting notices will include press releases, posting on graton.org, the District website, and possibly mailers to nearby homes. As always, the meetings are open to the general public.
I look forward to receiving your questions.
GCSD anticipates that the next round of community meetings will begin in mid to late June. Throughout this process, they will continue to have updates at the regularly scheduled GCSD Board meetings which are held in the Graton Day Labor Center at 2981 Bowen Street every third Monday of the month at 6:00 pm.
38 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 6/18
up and you qualify for a tax deduction?