Be Wary of Mendocino County’s Phase 3 Cannabis Expansion During This Water Crisis, Warns Letter Writer

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Letter to the editor cannabis marijuana feature

To Mendocino Board of Supervisors,

(and whom ever may listen)

I write this letter to you to as a resource of information that addresses our current water crisis before any progress with Phase III should be considered.

For those who don’t know me/us, My family and I have been a residents of Laytonville for 15 yrs and we have a five year old daughter.  We started a small landscaping outfit called From the Ground Up to make ends meet in 2006 and currently maintain a profile of over 100 clients.  As the landscaping took hold I began to shift focus to irrigation, pump systems, wells, interior plumbing, point of use treatment systems, pretty much anything to do with water.  Late 2017 I was hired part time at the Laytonville County Water District and since have obtained both my T2 and D2 CA state licenses.

I do not want to come to the table with the same arguments, although I do share some of the same concerns regarding our heritage growers, county infrastructure, and land use.  My argument is based on current residential well sounding and recharge rate data.

In Laytonville, historically we receive on average around 59 inches of rain in a six month period.  To Date 28” of rain has fallen.  This is even more concerning if the previous seasons numbers are factored in.  Before this year,  a low rain year would have usually recharged the ground water in our valley, especially at residential well depth (30-100ft).   This is unfortunately no longer true.  I have returned to write this after my third call this week for wells that can’t keep up with the normal household demand.  100-300 gallons a day is not a large ask typically for any well with a depth of 30 or more feet in and around the valley.

I was already concerned but after seeing the actual data, and being the specialist tracking it I am truly in disbelief.  I need to mention, I would be looking at the same data, no matter what proposed increase in usage to our counties water supply.  There are a number of clients I serve that would be greatly effected by the increase of water drafted from their depth or deeper. Most are older and have a fixed income, they will not be able to afford a new source and property value will fall.

In this valley and in most valleys we all share the “cone of influence.”  At this moment, We need to shift how we think of water to one of a non-renewable resource until the time this precipitation trend reverses.  Phase III will directly influence the health and well being of every individual in the County.  I ask that we all look at Lake Mendocino,  anywhere on the Eel River,  or any of our seasonal streams that are dry and cracked in April.  Please conserve and preserve the little water we have available in this county,  we already promise too much away.

Sincerely yours,

Jason Augustyniak and family

 

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DHS
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DHS
2 years ago

Wow. I did not realize the ground water situation in that area was so bad already. But in Humboldt and all across California (and the West) thinking of water as a ‘non-renewable resource’ at this time is definitely appropriate.

Michael M
Guest
Michael M
2 years ago
Reply to  DHS

The water situation is about that bad everywhere round here. A legal farm put wells in above us (PC refused to add any forbearance rules even though applicant had oodles of storage) and we now have only 3 months of low flow.

John Deere
Guest
John Deere
2 years ago

The Humboldt County compliance policy of allowing unregulated well water use for irrigation of cannabis on an industrial scale is creating environmental impacts that were not intended by the laws or ordinances, and is unsustainable in practice, especially during a historic drought and unprecedented wildfire events. Beware Mendocino, and Sonoma, you are fighting the same battle… and John Ford encourages you, too, to use satellite imagery because it’s worked so well here.

Can we get a licensed professional to use lidar technology to ascertain groundwater levels across the varying topography/geology of the landscape? Is it capable of doing that? Maybe it would be a good idea for us to gather scientific data on baseline levels in the aquifer before we allow another Extractive Economy to suck it all out for individual profits, while externalizing the costs of the operations to the Community and Environment. A non-renewable resource, indeed.

Ford loves him some satellite imagery… can we use it to see how much groundwater we’re working with, before allowing more well water grown commercial grade boofy mids?

Let’s Dilute the Emerald Triangle Brand with water extraction causing environmental destruction, while abating nuns for growing vegetables in a greenhouse! Makes for great terps! It’s medicine!

Jason Augustyniak
Guest
Jason Augustyniak
2 years ago
Reply to  John Deere

State water board is currently collecting data. They are using any source they can including lidar along with local districts’ data. They are judging by watershed and will implement max canopy in said influences. This is expected Jan 2023. The Supervisors will probably pass phase III tomorrow….. then immediately declare a water emergency the next day…… then the state will come and cut off every one at the head.

Hayforker
Guest
Hayforker
2 years ago

What do you mean: “cut off everyone at the head.”? Do you mean wellhead or a person’s head?

Also, how will waterboard “implement max canopy”? Are you talking about designating priority watersheds? Last research I saw published on this in southern humboldt showed they couldn’t statistically identify the cannabis uses without knowing where all the water was being used along streams by persons not filing diversion statements. NCRWQCB has an unpublished study I read that showed the hay farmers in Hayfork diverted so much water that the cannabis farms were insignificant.

I appreciate your willingness to speak up.

Thanks

Creeker
Guest
Creeker
2 years ago

Same thing in northern Humboldt, the aquifers haven’t really recovered much and I have been watching water trucks deliver water ALL winter. I’m pro weed but using wells instead of stored winter water has got to be the dumbest decision of all time by all of the agencies involved. Maybe wells make sense some places but not on the interior of the northcoast.

🤷🏻‍♂️
Guest
🤷🏻‍♂️
2 years ago

take out the black market market grows that are unregulated….. the streams will then flow again and the fish won’t die. I see it first hand the neighbors shopping mall sucks my house water dry then I’m forced to get water delivered. I support mom and pop legal grows running wells and ponds 10,000 sqft is nothing compared to some of the illegal growing going on….. phase three will totally demolished the water supplies without a doubt.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

It is very disturbing to see Lake Mendocino completely dry… It’s April 19th guys!

There is a small lake across the street from my house, also completely drying up, for the 2nd year in a row…

Clear Lake is down about 20ft.

When our entire area catches on fire, and it will, there won’t be water available for the scooper planes, the helicopters…

Pot farming and grape growing operations have expanded exponentially in the last 8-10 years. Not only has water been removed from the aquifer, but runoff, streams creeks and rivers have been channeled into private water tanks and storage facilities… The sheer amount of runoff that never reaches lakes and rivers is pretty amazing…

The governments of North Coast Counties are cognizant, and, at some point, farmers will be forced to just stop growing…

2021 is not the year to expand! Mendocino is choking on weed, and so is Humboldt!

Put the brakes on! You are going to have a thirsty summer!

Mendocino County is pretty lost, and, stands as a perfect example of what not to do! Lake County growers are no better.

Greedy humans are not beneficial to the environment, no matter where they reside.

On the other hand, living near a big lake, is probably the best thing to do, during an extended drought, but we also know that we have to conserve water, yesterday, today and always!

Farmers need to be a steward of the environment, always, and YOU are responsible for conserving our resources!

Mendo Historian
Guest
Mendo Historian
2 years ago

Phase one and phase two left many people out. Many of us residents were waiting on phase 3 thinking by then the dust would settle and the county would have some form of ordinance and permitting system ready for residents and farmers to join in. The County has failed its residents and and are now failing the people who waited for phase 3 if they dont pass phase 3 into ordinance. The entire system has been rigged favorably to corporations leaving out our small mom and pop farmers. Cannabis Farmers need a minimum 1 acre to even survive and more area to actually thrive.