River Issues

by Dylan Freebairn-Smith, Conservation Analyst One of the first projects that Dylan has tackled is analyzing the TMDL program for the Gualala. Summary The Gualala River has been listed as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act due to elevated sediment levels since 1993 and has exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of sediment since 2001. …

by Laura Baker, Board Member In 2021 FoGR learned of a chemical found in tire grit that pollutes stormwater and kills a number of different aquatic species. It is especially toxic to coho salmon— 40 parts per billion in a quart of stormwater kills juvenile coho. Information has been pouring out of the State of Washington where the effects of …

On May 16, 2024, the California Coastal Commission issued a permit to Bower Limited Partnership for replacement of the failed retaining wall behind the Surf Market and directly above the Gualala River estuary. The Surf Market building was built too close to the bluff edge in 1983, in violation of coastal development permit CDP No. NCR-80-P-75, which is why the …

Mouth of the Gualala River on May 20, 2024; photo courtesy of Bob Rutemoeller

Press release by Earthjustice, August 15, 2023 [excerpt] The Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) today notified U.S. tire manufacturers of their intent to sue over the use of a chemical called 6PPD in rubber tires because of its devastating impacts on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-protected salmon and steelhead. When 6PPD reacts …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, August 2, 2023 [excerpt:] A new program targeting 1,500 commercial grape growers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties and designed to improve water quality in local creeks and rivers is drawing criticism from members of the agricultural community. The draft rules include reporting requirements, annual fees, well and groundwater monitoring, ground cover requirements and restrictions …

After Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) filed suit in 2021 against the State and Regional Water Boards for failing to create a plan to improve water quality conditions in the watershed as required by federal law, the Water Boards have finally agreed to do so. FoGR reached an agreement with the Water Boards in early 2023 requiring the launch of …

Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) achieved a major accomplishment that will help improve water quality and reduce sediment pollution in the Gualala River and its tributaries – a pivotal step in assisting salmonid recovery efforts. After nearly two years of legal actions and negotiations, a settlement agreement was reached last month between FoGR, the State Water Resources Control Board (State …

To:  Nathan QuarlesDeputy Director, Engineering and ConstructionPermit and Resource Management DepartmentCounty of SonomaEmail: Nathan.Quarles@sonoma-county.orgWell Ordinance Public CommentsSubmitted via email: PermitSonoma-Wells-PublicInput@sonoma-county.orgFrom:  Friends of Gualala River Board of DirectorsP.O. Box 1543Gualala, CA. 95445Email info@gualalariver.orgDate:  February 22, 2023Subject:  Friends of Gualala River comments on the proposed draft Well Ordinance_____________________________________________________________________________Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) is a grassroots nonprofit organization that has worked for over …

In September, the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy (RCLC) unveiled the Conservation Plan for the Mill Bend Preserve at a public meeting and celebration. This was a major achievement and the result of two years of collaboration between the environmental consultant, Prunuske Chatham, Inc., and a dedicated Working Group of RCLC individuals that included FoGR representation. The Abstract to the Conservation …

By: FoGR Vice President, Lynn Walton Adult Steelhead, photo by Peter Baye For nearly a year Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) has been engaged in an effort to prompt the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Resources Control Board to perform their duty to incorporate the Gualala River’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for sediment …

by Chris McManus Independent Coast Observer August 20, 2021 Reprinted by permission © Copyright Independent Coast Observer, Inc. www.mendonoma.com Friends of Gualala River, along with Forest Unlimited in Forestville, on Monday sent a request to state and local officials asking that a regional state of emergency for the Gualala River watershed be proclaimed. This aerial view of the Gualala River …

August 16, 2021 To:  California Department of Fish and Wildlife Charlton Bonham Director P.O. Box 944209 Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 From: Friends of Gualala River PO Box 1543 Gualala, CA 95445 info@gualalariver.org and: Forest Unlimited P.O. Box 506 Forestville, CA 95426 info@forestunlimited.org Re:       FoGR requests the following actions be taken immediately: 1) proclaim a Regional State of Emergency for the Gualala River watershed; …

Drought Changes in the Gualala River Estuary’s Summer Lagoon: Native Aquatic Vegetation versus Algal Blooms A virtual field trip with questions and answers – (more than you wanted to know) Friends of Gualala River, August 2021 Peter Baye, Ph.D, Coastal Ecologist, Botanist Question: What is all the green stuff in the Gualala River lagoon? Is it one of the “Harmful …

Historically, the Gualala River was home to abundant coho salmon and steelhead trout populations that numbered in the tens of thousands. Today, the endangered coho salmon are all but gone and threatened steelhead are struggling to survive in the home river they evolved and adapted to over millennia. The dwindling salmonid population is a critical indicator of the declining health …

  The mouth of the Gualala River opened to the ocean on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020 at ~11:30am, reconnecting the important lagoon fish rearing habitat for out-migrating salmonids, synchronized with suitable stream conditions for returning spawners. This is a high tide, high swell, low-energy breach condition in the photos. When the lagoon is full and it breaches on a low …

When we think of timber road runoff threats, we habitually think of fine sediment, indirectly affecting coho (and steelhead) by habitat degradation. But this is direct acute mortality by rubber tire chemicals. A new wrinkle on wheeled vehicles operating on rough, abrasive gravel haul roads. – FoGR by Erik Stokstad Science  04 Dec 2020: Vol. 370, Issue 6521, pp. 1145 …

News from: Redwood Coast Land Conservancy May 21, 2020 Sometimes it does take a small group of passionate locals to conserve a river estuary forever. In 2017, 113 acres of scenic and environmentally sensitive coastal wetlands and adjacent uplands surrounding the Gualala River went up for sale for the first time in over 70 years. The community came together, signaled …

by John Walton   In the fall of 2017, the Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) working group considered a proposal to engage the community in a discussion regarding the 112 acre Mill Bend Properties, including the estuary of the river, that had recently been offered for sale for the first time in nearly 70 years. FoGR’s Board suggested presenting the …

by Tempra Board Soundings, Summer, 2019 © copyright 2019, The Sea Ranch Association reprinted with permission Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) has been in the news lately for its efforts to compel state agencies to protect sensitive Gualala River watershed habitat from the latest in a series of Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) proposed by the Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) company. Get …