The beneficial uses of water as listed by the North Coast Region Water Quality Control Plan for the assessment area are industrial service supply, municipal supply, groundwater recharge, water contact recreation, non-water contact recreation, cold freshwater habitat, wildlife habitat, fish migration, and fish spawning.
The Gualala River supports coho salmon and steelhead trout. The Gualala River is listed as an "impaired" river under the federal Clean Water Act because of excessive sediment and high temperatures, both of which can be lethal to salmon and steelhead.
The California Fish & Game Commission has officially listed coho salmon populations from San Francisco to the Oregon border under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
The Sea Ranch once drew surface water from the South Fork Gualala by using a summer dam, but they currently draw water from the aquifer below the lower South Fork Gualala and have augmented storage with an off-site reservoir (Higgins, 1997). The Sea Ranch’s water right from the State Water Board allows for a maximum extraction of 2.8 cfs, although the maximum diversion in 1994 was 0.56 cfs (EIP, 1994) .( Technical Support Document (TSD) for the Gualala River Watershed Water Quality Attainment Action Plan for Sediment (CWRCB, 2001)(Attached Exhibit 8))
The claim has been made that Whistler/Hanson might attempt to use organic
farming methods, but in the negative declaration they clearly list the
chemicals, pesticides, that will be used to when pests arrive. The Negative
Declaration lists chemicals “such as ,Roundup, Surflan,Devinol or fungicides,
registered for use on
grapes, including Rally, Baylaton, Rubigan and Dithane.”
Studies and substantial evidence and not been provided to show that the use of these chemicals, even in minute quantities, will not harm the salmonid population in the Little Creek watershed, Buckeye Creek watershed, and the Gualala watershed. Documentation has better not been provided that they have listed or registered their project with any organic certification programs. Substantial evidence has not been provided to prove that they use of these chemicals will not harm the drinking water supply for Sea Ranch.
This project must be evaluated for the chemicals and pesticides that
they state in the Negative Declaration they will use.
.
Approval of this project and the other projects above Little Creek
and Buckeye Creek will waste the resources already spent by CDF, the Department
of Fish and Game and Water Quality to protect and rehabilitate the Gualala
River Watershed, and the Steelhead and Coho Salmon.
The residents of Wildwood Subdivision have spent more that $100,000 maintaining the dirt roads for residential traffic. They are narrow and windy and subject to excessive deterioration. Greater amounts of sedimentation with large logging and vineyard vehicles are inevitable. Since vineyard/deforestation approvals by CDF began in 1999, the Wildwood subdivision roads have deteriorated to their worst state in the last 15 years.
Sedimentation runoff from the roads on the steep parts of Flournoy/Little Creek Road during winter months has increased dramatically. Is there any question commercial use of these roads is having a negative impact on the surrounding Class 1 streams and federally impaired Gualala River?
CDF cannot mitigate the increased use of large commercial vehicles on our dirt road system and the dust and extra sediment movement this traffic type of traffic will create. The logging activities will create a dramatic short term impact on the roads, but the regular year around vineyard activities on multiple projects create a long term negative impact.
CDF's decisions regarding these multiple commercial conversions have created an unfair burden on the non-commercial residents of Wildwood.
The narrow railroad car bridge on Little Creek Road has been adequate for residential use, but does not meet the standards required for commercial activities and worker vehicles. CDF's past decisions have already created a dangerous situation and an added liability for the property owners within the Wildwood subdivision. Approval of the Hansen/Whistler THP will only increase our liability exposure.
The Hansen/Whistler THP/commercial vineyard will harm residents of Wildwood without providing any benefits at all to the larger community.
This conversion is not in the public interest.