Page 12 - Sonoma County Gazette Sept 2017

WATERSHED cont’d from page 1
Senior Water Resource Control Engineer Charles E. Reed said although most sources of human fecal waste are adequately regulated, other sources need more control, including homeless encampments, discharges from wastewater holding ponds, dairies, recreational users and non-dairy livestock.
homeless encampments, and three is agricultural runo ,” Fourth District Supervisor James Gore said. “Eighty percent of the problem they see is septic systems.”
“The TMDL Action Plan identi es those additional controls,” Reed said. “The APMP focuses on identifying and xing failing and substandard OWTS and ensuring that all OWTS within the APMP perform adequately over the long-term and are quickly identi ed when they are nearing (the end of) their useful life.”
The Fitch Mountain area is among those most a ected by the plan, but the Fifth District will be hit hardest in areas such as Monte Rio, Villa Grande, Northwood and Camp Meeker.
Regulation of septic systems within 600 feet of the waterway are covered under AB885, a statewide policy adopted in 2012 that requires the development of an Advanced Protection Management Program (APMP) establishing minimum standards and requirements for those OWTS.
Who’s in charge?
The problem persists
Various agencies must also wrangle with jurisdictional issues, as several entities exert control over di erent aspects of River usage, from Sonoma County Parks to the Human Services Department, which is attempting to address homeless issues along the lower River.
Problems with waste treatment and disposal in the Russian River watershed have been ongoing for decades.
“We’ve entered into an MOU with Sonoma County that describes how Sonoma County PRMD, the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, and the Regional Water Board will implement the TMDL Action Plan for OWTS, homeless encampments and recreational water users,” Reed said. “It is our hope that the local agencies will develop creative ways to provide technical and nancial assistance to OWTS owners within their jurisdictions.”
“This has been an ongoing process since the 1920s with no solutions,” Fifth District supervisor Lynda Hopkins said. “In the 1980s, the county built sewers, but that funding stream has gone away.”
Recent e orts to clean up the River and upgrade septic systems go back to 2005, when the state pushed for OWTS upgrades to be in place by 2009.
In 2012, the Russian River watershed was listed under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d), which led to more study and the establishment of TMDLs.
Gore believes it will take a “call to action” on the scale of such programs as “Keep Tahoe Blue,” a decades-long movement dedicated to preserving Lake Tahoe.
This TMDL establishes requirements for assessments of individual OWTS and a requirement that all OWTS receive a basic operational inspection at least every ve years.
“What is our long-term vision ve to 10 years down the road?” he asked. “First, we need a realistic timeline and support so it doesn’t put people out of their homes.”
High cost of compliance
Both gore and Hopkins agree that “every solution has to be on the table,” including the possibility of new sewer systems that could cost millions of dollars to build.
Previous actions by the Water Board have led to universal outcries from citizens concerned with the costs of upgrading septic systems, which could run into tens of thousands of dollars for repairs and hundreds of dollars annually to test and maintain systems.
But in the end, both supervisors have to look at what is best for the community.
According to the draft Action Plan, individual systems can cost as much as $10,000 for a new OWTS, while a new system for a restaurant can run as high as $80,000. A school with about 700 students that needs to replace its OWTS could spend as much as $151,000.
“This is not about ‘big, bad government,’ but that the Russian River should not be used as a sewer,” Gore said. “It is our responsibility to manage our own shit, so
That does not even take into consideration the costs of site evaluation, professional reports and fees to the Water Board, which could near $10,000, according to the report.
The Regional Water Board will consider the TMDL Action Plan at the board meeting on Dec. 12-13, 2017.
The Water Board “acknowledge(s) that it will be di cult and/or expensive for some OWTS to comply with the APMP requirements,” but said its sta has been working with the county to apply for grant funding to provide public funding assistance for OWTS upgrades in the communities of Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, Northwood and Villa Grande.
The draft Action Plan, draft Sta Report, including the draft SED are available for public review and comment and can be downloaded from the Regional Water Board’s website at http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/
Similar e orts are expected to take place in the future for other River communities, but owners of OWTS a ected by the TMDL are ultimately responsible for complying with the Action Plan.
Persons wishing to comment on the draft Action Plan and draft sta report, including draft SED, are invited to submit comments in writing. To be evaluated and responded to by the Regional Water Board, and fully considered in advance of the hearing, all written comments and evidence must be received by the Regional Water Board no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29.
“This is a huge deal and a ects 10,000 property owners,” Hopkins said. “It could potentially cost $10s to $100s of millions to x so it is essential for people to get involved. We need time to make sure property owners are not priced out of their homes.
Transmit comments electronically to the attention of Alydda Mangelsdorf at the Regional Water Board at NorthCoast@waterboards.ca.gov. Comments can also be faxed to 707-523-0135 or mailed to the California Regional Water Quality Control Board - North Coast Region, ATTN: Alydda Mangelsdorf, 5550 Skylane Blvd., Suite A, Santa Rosa, California 95403. Persons wishing to present oral comments may attend the hearing and present oral comments.
“The Water Board has been meeting with stakeholders to make sure this is as painless as possible,” she added. “But it’s going to be a long process.”
12 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 9/17
NOTICE OF PUBLIC WORKSHOP
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Guerneville Veterans Memorial Hall, 16225 1st Street, Guerneville
let’s get down to business and nd ways to make it reasonable.”
Upcoming action and comment period
The documents can also be viewed by contacting or going to the Regional Water Board’s o ce at 5550 Skylane Blvd., Ste. A, Santa Rosa, California weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or calling by 707-576-2220.