Russian River Confluence

Sign ups open for a river cleanup near you!

Sign-ups are now live! 🚮🏞👨‍👩‍👦

Head on over to our site and choose your location. We are so excited! Huge thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making our annual cleanup possible.

Click the link below or link in our bio!

https://russianriverkeeper.org/rrwcu/

Safely dispose of your unwanted medicine and sharps waste with this free service!

Thinking of cutting your dry grass? Please read the Safety Tips!

Planning to enjoy the Russian River over the holiday weekend? If you packed it in, pack it out. Don't trash the river! Respect private property...it is not yours to enjoy. No fires and fireworks!

Take a jacket, leave a jacket 🦺 If you’re heading to the beach this weekend, we encourage you to accessorize accordingly! Our free “loaner” life jacket stands have returned to Russian River beaches at Del Rio Woods, Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach, Steelhead Beach, Forestville River Access and Sunset Beach. Just grab a vest for the day and return it when you leave. Our roving Russian River lifeguard patrol also visits river beaches on weekends through the summer. When in doubt, borrow a jacket – being prepared is always more fun! More at SoCoParks.org/River-Tips

Rubber dam inflated on Russian River to meet summertime water demand

There are 63 species that can be found in the Russian River Watershed which include Steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon, all 3 of which are an endangered or threatened species.

Join us in Guerneville on Saturday! 🍷

On April 16, the Board of Supervisors approved an expanded version of the county’s tree protection ordinance, which will preserve more of the county’s trees and help to combat climate change given that woodlands pull carbon from the atmosphere.

The updated Tree Protection Ordinance protects more native species, lowers the size threshold of protected trees to support forest health, and exempts removals for public safety, defensible space and basic property maintenance.

A second ordinance specifically enhances protections for oak woodlands, a sensitive and valued natural resource. The original Tree Protection Ordinance, adopted in 1989, protected 11 tree species with trunks nine inches in diameter or greater. The updated ordinance includes 31 tree species with trunks six inches in diameter or greater. The protected species include: big leaf maple, black oak, blue oak, boxelder, California black walnut, California buckeye, canyon live oak, coast live oak, two cottonwood species, interior live oak, madrone, Oregon ash, Oregon oak, red and white alder, valley oak, two willow species, two cypress species, grand fir, six pine species, redwood, western hemlock.

To mitigate the impact of removing trees, the ordinance requires new trees to be planted or payment of an in-lieu fee. The supervisors increased the fees based on changes to the Consumer Price Index since 1989. Fees in the original ordinance ranged from $200 to $1,400, and are now $500 to $3,500 per tree removed, depending on the size of the tree.

A use permit would be required for the removal of protected hardwoods greater than 36 inches and redwoods greater than 48 inches, and an appraisal would be required to determine the fee for removing those trees. For more information and to read the text of the adopted ordinances please visit the Comprehensive Tree Ordinance Update website

Comprehensive Tree Ordinance Update In 2019 the Board of Supervisors approved a two year Work Plan for the Comprehensive Planning Division that directs Permit Sonoma to reevaluate current tree removal regulations. Permit Sonoma has received a Wildfire Resiliency and Recovery Planning Grant through the State of California’s Strategic...

Sonoma County Regional Parks Launches Summer Shuttle Service

Visitors and residents looking to enjoy Russian River beaches this summer can take advantage of the Regional Parks River Shuttle when it returns for its fourth season starting Memorial Day weekend. The River Shuttle departs from the El Molino High School campus, 7050 Covey Road in Forestville, and runs between the popular Steelhead Beach and Sunset Beach river parks.

The Regional Parks River Shuttle is a convenient, low-cost way to visit Russian River beaches without the need for a personal vehicle. With new, expanded hours, the shuttle will operate 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends and holidays, beginning Saturday, May 25, through Labor Day, Sept. 2. An all-day round-trip ticket costs $5. Youth (ages 0-18) ride for free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at

Trakk

Final fish count for 2024 for the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery

Its National Drinking Water Week~ a great opportunity to sign up for a tour of our water supply system. Join the tour to get out to the Russian River, learn about the processes involved in delivering water to 600,000 people in Sonoma County and North Marin. Space is limited, registration required.
Find out more and sign up: sonomawater.org/tours

Need compost?

Mark your calendars for May 11 at 9 AM – 12 PM for our free giveaway! Enjoy nutrient-rich compost sourced from the organics that you placed in your Recology compost cart. Learn more at https://bit.ly/49Q8WiB

This event is made possible by a collaboration with the City of Santa Rosa and Zero Waste Sonoma.

Time to round up un-needed or outdated medications and dispose of them Saturday, at one of the take back locations listed.

Medications should not be placed in the trash or flushed down the toilet!

Zero Waste Sonoma | Zero Waste Sonoma Zero Waste Sonoma is a regional government agency operating programs to reduce landfilled waste in Sonoma County, CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hur9DL4vc4w

Supervisor Gore interview on Potter Valley

Fish count at the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery as of 4/8/2024

Two dams are coming down on California’s Eel River. Will it threaten water supplies? The removal of two dams on California's Eel River is expected to be a boon for fish and tribes, but it could threaten Bay Area water supplies.

Want a tour of Sonoma County water Infrastructure?

Fish count for Don Clausen Fish Hatchery as of 3/26/24

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each year Americans throw away more than three billion batteries! 🔋🚯😨

But did you know that throwing batteries in the trash could cause heavy metals to leak into the ground when the battery casing corrodes, polluting local soils and water in the process?

Help protect the Russian River watershed and find a nearby battery recycling center at the links below! ⬇
ZeroWasteSonoma.gov/materials/batteries-household
MendoRecycle.org/HazardousWaste/SpecialItems

Celebrating World Water Day!

Water can create peace or spark conflict.
When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries.
More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water.
As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource.
Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.
When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges.
We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life.
This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.

Reflections on World Water Day 2024 | Water Resources Research Center | The University of Arizona This Reflections essay is being published on March 22, which is World Water Day. UN-Water, which coordinates the United Nations’ work on water and sanitation issues, designates a World Water Day theme each year, and this year’s theme is Water for Peace.

Did you know that groundwater helps keep water flowing in our rivers and streams? Hydrogeologists study the dynamic relationships in interconnected surface and groundwater systems. The interaction takes place in three basic ways:
streams gain water from inflow of groundwater through the streambed (gaining stream),
streams lose water to groundwater by outflow through the streambed (losing stream), or
they do both, gaining in some reaches and losing in other reaches.

Protecting our Groundwater

How can we protect our groundwater? Through GSAs! ...What are GSAs?

GSA stands for Groundwater Sustainability Agency. There are four GSAs in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, responsible for overseeing the conditions of the local groundwater basins, ready to act if needed to protect these precious resources!

Sonoma County’s free Residential Curbside Chipper Program is launching early this year in an effort to reduce residential wait times, expand service, and mitigate the risk of wildfires.

The Chipper Program, administered by the Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention Division, is designed to help residents create defensible space around their homes and reduce vegetation along important access routes. Once approved, properties in unincorporated Sonoma County are eligible to receive up to two hours of complimentary chipping and are eligible to receive a second visit as well. Visits are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Sonoma County opens Chipper program early to reduce wildfire risk Sonoma County’s free Residential Curbside Chipper Program is launching early this year in an effort to reduce residential wait times, expand service, and mitigate the risk of wildfires.

Did you know?

Mountains, hills, and geologic features like earthquake faults create underground "walls" that separate groundwater into distinct areas, called basins.

This geologic complexity can create a LOT of variation in how accessible and plentiful groundwater is.

There are 14 identified groundwater basins in Sonoma County, and 6 basins in Mendocino County alone!

In California, we all depend on the unseen water beneath our feet. Groundwater serves our agricultural, rural and municipal areas to provide water for all aspects of life. But how much water is underground? Are we pumping too much? Is the aquifer recharging at a rate in balance with the water we are using? Is the groundwater quality good? The CA Dept. of Water Resources has developed a new online dashboard to explore a state map of groundwater conditions. Check it out here at Calfornia Groundwater Live: https://sgma.water.ca.gov/CalGWLive/

Now hiring! Are you interested in environmental science, fish, wildlife and water quality? Join our Extra Help Resource Programs Technician team!
Learn more and apply: sonomawater.org/current-job-openings