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Last week I posted pictures of the woeful, sad, algae-infested Navarro River. This year the algae exploded during our first very hot heatwave at the beginning of July. The water is low, ugly and unhealthy. Three summers ago, during the drought, the river ran clear until the rains. I know some algae is expected. But the last two years of recreation time in the river has been cut by more than half. After incredibly wet winters the last two years, our river is in worse shape than ever before. I showed the community these pictures and questioned whether there was excessive nitrogen and phosphorous runoff from the three million vines planted in our small valley. Don’t we all have a right to the water in our community? A vigorous discussion followed.
After posting pictures regarding my deep concern for the state of our river, I invited discussion by the community here in Anderson Valley. I have learned a lot over the last week about surface water flow, algae, water rights, permits for wells, agricultural runoff, old septic systems, fish-friendly farming and climate change.
On Friday [an official from] the Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board came to take samples of the algae growth to determine if bacteria are present. [He] stated that the cause of excessive algae growth in the state is unknown, but that low water level and record heat is a huge factor. When asked if an old septic or excessive runoff from fertilizers could be the cause for certain areas of the river, he said it could not be ruled out. If the river was tested now for high nitrogen, it would read a low level because the algae eat the nitrogen (fixates). I also learned that I myself could test the water in spring and send it to a lab. But for now, even if the water tests positive for bacteria, it will simply be marked on a map and a warning posted. No further investigation into causes will be conducted.
I still can’t help but be astounded that there are three million vines in the 15-mile stretch of Anderson Valley. They need water for at least the second half of summer, according to a local vintner. Let that sink in……….
So, what are water rights? The legal right of a user to use water from a specific source. Water rights authorize particular entities to use, sell or divert water. From landowners to corporations. According to comments online, some (maybe four) are grandfathered in and draw from the river 24 hours a day. Others have commented that they are required to draw from the river from May to September or else they are heavily fined. What the … ? Who in God’s name created these rules? Can we the public demand an explanation from our elected officials? Create a petition? When does a person’s or entity’s limits kick in for these grandfathered rights. Are they allowed to keep sucking it out till it’s gone? Does water not belong to all of us? Are we allowed to ask? Hmmm.
Those questions probably won’t go over well with some.
Others have commented how some landowners with holding ponds replenish them illegally with groundwater. I would hope that there would be some sort of safeguard against that. I also have a lot of faith that these things are monitored by our local authorities who care. Misplaced trust?
The permit process for wells includes a final decision by local government who reviews the application for potentially significant environmental impacts. Who is that in Mendocino County? The Environmental Health Department of Mendocino County. Are they willing to share their findings and reasoning with us? There is no limit on what is drawn out of a well? Not sure. But a new state policy for restricting well water use for large consumers in sensitive areas may go into effect. Cross your fingers it happens, and we are one of those areas.
On the AgAlert website is an article (8/2/2023) regarding the Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board working on creating new monitoring and reporting requirements for nitrogen applications and removals in Anderson Valley. “The North Coast is the last of the state’s nine regions to develop general waste discharge requirements as part of the state’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program.” Oh boy! So much for the Northcoast Water Board thinking that runoff is not part of the problem with the river, this new requirement would say otherwise.
I also found that we as a community can be active in protecting our resources through different agencies: The Mendocino County Resource Conservation District. Facebook pages, Mendocino County 5th District community page, and on Valley Hub. There is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Fish Friendly Farming is actively educating about problems such as erosion and soil loss, stream bank failure, and water quality degradation. Commenters have talked about dry farming.
In conclusion, I am sure I got some things wrong and have lots more to learn. But the actions that I see available to me are:
Bring awareness
Join in efforts of my Local and Federal Conservation Agencies
I can test the water next spring
I can walk the river with my camera
Learn more
Start a petition? To demand the environmental studies that showed having so many vineyards in a small area was environmentally sound?
Anyone want to take a swim in the Napa River?
Sincerely yours,
Lisa Nunes
Philo
Algae grow because of excessive nutrients in the water . Pot growers using the water near the river and adding fertilizers that leach into the water system.
That is a big part of the problem.
Even abandoned grows from long ago are still leaching out fertilizer both organics such as bat guano and other amendments and the chemicals like bags of the blue shit and time released that got left behind.
Another part of the problem is wine grape vineyards and other agriculture.
Then there are houses and so forth with there lawns and flower gardens and there are many other culprits as well.
Shit rolls downhill and flows downstream.
There are no longer a significant number of “pot growers” in the area after the market dropped out. Any remaining fries are measured in 5-10 thousand square feet. Vineyards are the problem, measured in sprawling acre grows. They use exponentially more water, pesticides and fert than any legal canna grow.
Time to hear the nut jobs come out and blame pot growers even though they’re all long gone
Vineyards. Or alcohol grapes as I like to remind people about the non-food component of our county’s fully legal cash crop. The water use, the use of migrant labor, and the attachment to the pesticide industrial complex. The biggest oakwoodland destroyer of them all those vineyards. Let’s not forget the most prevalent addiction in our society of alcoholism, there’s the drunk driving which endangers us all and there’s the reminder that most people have their first sexual experience intoxicated on alcohol. Most addicts of hard drugs have an underlying and primary alcohol addiction. And it’s fully legal and accepted.
As a child of cannabis and alcohol grape addicts, I can tell you they are remarkably similar. The agriculture difference is that cannabis is an annual crop which relies on fresh (yet artifical, check out how potting soil is made) soil and fertilizers and new plastic every year versus grapes, which are planted to suit mechanised and diesel
based conventional farming methods along with constant pesticide and herbicide use . Both use impoverished Mexicans(legal, illegal and everything in between). Local alcohol ranches aren’t providing jobs for the local youth, they import their workers. Migrant men sleep in tents 30 a piece on cots with Porta Poties and right here. Right in our county, it’s just off a dirt road so the general public only sees the pretty winery fronts and labels on bottles.
Most wine is consumed by women. By stressed out, overwhelmed moms. We’ve all seen the “RosE all day ” slogans.
I’m not anti farmer, I’m anti us not knowing what we’re growing with our local Ag land and water, and my people, we are growing intoxicants.
Does the money from alcohol farming trickle down to the local people who are affected by the pesticides, and water degradation? No.
Almost all cancers are from “environmental” (chemical) exposure. A quick Google search will remind you about the heightened cancer rate of industrial farm workers. And their families .
Next time you see a vibrant green vineyard standing out against the golden dry grass and more muted greens of the oaks behind remember, someone wants to get drunk on that. Hope that drunken night’s insights we’re worth all that natural and human resource down the drain
Indeed. As a society, we’re addicted to and reliant upon many things that have enormous downsides. It can all legitimately be called a “way of life”, for better or worse. Mostly worse. Local dominant agricultural enterprises are largely motivated by profit, not the overall health of the population. It is what it is, at least for now.
“Most wine is consumed by women. By stressed out, overwhelmed moms.”
I was hoping you would flesh out this dubious assertion elsewhere in your incoherent rant but alas, your energy seems to have dissipated somewhere between the oak trees and the humanity. Pity.
It’s just an overview. I don’t wanna scare anyone away with my views on the daily burdens placed on women and the lack of support they endure often leading them to turn to wine and phones for escape.
This letter is asking an obvious question: do all these vineyards affect the water?
The answer: yes, yes they do.
And I am asking: is it worth it ?
The history of apples (mostly for hard cider) in the Sebastopol area is fascinating too. Check out how they killed all the fish in the river over in Graton by dumping apple pulp in there! The river was dead back in the day from….apples!!
The finest wine grapes ever grown in Mendocino County were dry farmed.
John Poor and family in Hopland is a good example they never used water to grow their grapes and they were always in the highest demand.
The same goes for most of the Old Vine Zinfandel and other variety vineyards that were all over the Ukiah and Redwood valleys mostly owned by the Itallian families.
Nowadays it’s all about the tonnage in other words greed.
Focus less on immigration and more on economy. The sources of pollution from oil to agriculture are profit driven. The labor market they use has increased its supply of black market, under-taxed, un-regulated, over-abused, workers. Every job I have, carpenter, cellar worker, chef, has hundreds of black market workers for every legal one. They can’t complain about forced or unpaid overtime, unsafe working conditions, harassment and abuse from their employers.
Also look at that Tesla. Up to 60% of PG&E power is generated from a nuclear reactor at Diablo Canyon. They act all green but they don’t think about the half lives of the fuel rods they are burying.
Yes. It’s not the vines people, it is the greed. The tonnages as MM says. The ancient Romans to the early vintners of this area never “sprayed” or over irrigated, or applied nitrogen!! There are few growers that still do that. Use organic sulfur dust, dry farm, etc those days are gone. All for the mighty dollar. Remember, this is Pliny the elder shit. Second oldest profession. Needs to be viewed as such again.
The algae in our rivers is a natural occurring phenomenon. Warm slow flowing waters make for perfect conditions with low oxygen content where algae thrive. As far as excess nitrates and phosphorus are concerned, which could lead to excessive algae blooms, vineyards use very little nitrogen to prosper. In fact excessive nitrogen causes fruit to ripen later and have qualities that are not conducive for quality wine. Phosphorus is another element that is used is rather small quantities compared to many other commercial crops. Many of our local vineyards are certified organic and fish friendly which drastically limits their use on conventional fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. These vineyards and ranches are inspected annually by a third party to ensure that conventional chemicals are not being used. I am not saying there is no way that nitrates, phosphorus or other elements are present in the water but how about we do some intelligent research and determine if they are at level that may cause concern before we start pointing fingers at our neighbors and a industry that is struggling. Coming from a ranching background where many generations have cared for the land, the last thing that ranchers and farmers want to do is poison their land and water for future generations. We all want clean water, air, and environment and none more so than the farmers and ranchers of this county.
I find this letter interesting and I support this conversation. Pot grows are still an impact…legal or illegal since no requirement for waste water is stated by state. Saying all growers are conscientious of enviorment is a lie that is told because the amount of nitrogen at large garden supply/grower supply stores proves the sales counts are high. Please listen with a open mind to this letter. The rivers never had toxic cyno blooms in the past. Dogs didn’t die from swimming in them. I find the truth is being bent for business needs. Something has changed? For citizens to acknowledge that. .is first step to getting rid of cyno toxins. That’s all. Acknowledge that change needs to happen and have a dialoge about change.
Walk any part of the Navarro river and you will see pumps every 20 yards or so going directly to vineyards. I asked a game warden once why this was allowed and he told me only PUMPING was illegal. Having the pump ready to go is totally fine. So unless they get caught actually pumping there is no issues for them. Its a travesty of justice and has destroyed a river that once had salmon and otters and numerous other wildlife that has been eradicated.
Exactly.
I am literally in tears because I am so grateful that someone (ANYONE!) is raising awareness to this issue. Like I said last time, I grew up on the Navarro river and watching it be destroyed by rich winery owners with zero concern about the local community or the long list of environmental damage caused by the over farming of wine grapes not only in Anderson Valley but the entire county. Thank you a million times over. However, money talks and corrupt local officials LOVE to talk so I have very little hope that this problem is addressed before the entire river is destroyed.