Drought Emergency Declared by City of Rio Dell
System Operator Ed Lee briefs Councilmember Amanda Carter on Rio Dell water recycling facility, June 23, 2021
Press release from the City of Rio Dell:
At a special meeting held on Tuesday, June 22nd the Rio Dell City Council voted to declare a drought emergency. The declaration calls for a series of voluntary reductions in water use in order to ease pressure on the waters of the Eel River. The Council also directed that the City’s alternative groundwater well site be activated to diversify the water supply and reduce surface water intake from the river.
“We didn’t have this option back in 2014.” Stated Mayor Pro-Tem Gordon Johnson, referring to the City’s emergency well system that came online in 2018 after the last drought left the community with few options. “This is a tremendous relief for our citizens, for the environment and it shows we have been working hard to fix the threats posed to our system.”
Senator McGuire, Councilmembers Frank Wilson Debra Garnes Drought Resiliency Project Briefing in 2015
Johnson went on to thank the State Water Resources Control Board and Senator Mike McGuire for stepping in with financial assistance to help cover the $1.8 million water source diversification project.
The City’s wastewater system also recycles treated water back to the groundwater aquifer the wells are located in. 1/8 of a mile downstream of the well system sits a 14 acre irrigation field where this water is allowed to replenish the groundwater basin, resulting in the lowest environmental impact possible.
Rio Dell’s Superintendent of Wastewater Operations, Derek Taylor stated, “This is a technologically advanced and environmentally friendly system, one of the best on the Eel River Watershed. Much of what we take out in well water is returned to the basin.”
Taylor concluded by saying, “The river does so much for us, now is the time to help the river by conserving this resource.”
Councilmember Amanda Carter tours water recycling facility with Superintendent Derek Taylor June 23, 2021
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Sounds like the well is hydrologically connected to the eel River. This is a HUGE no no according to cdfw. Didn’t they just approve a large cannabis cultivation site up there in rio dell? According to county and cdfw, rio dell should implement a rain water catch system to collect and store water during the rain months. Putting recycled water back into the aquifer could prove to contaminate the aquifer in the long run. Once it becomes recycled water, it can only be used to irrigate, and cannot be used as potable water. I would not want to drink this treated water. Good luck rio dell!!
Meanwhile ecocide is occurring in the Amazon forest. They are destroying the forest to mine lithium to make batteries for all those “green” electric cars.
“ Indigenous leaders and human rights groups say the Brazilian president’s policies threaten tribal communities and constitutes what should be a new crime: ecocide.”
“When you destroy an environment, you ultimately destroy your home, culture and people,” said Valérie Cabanes, a French lawyer who helped prepare Suruí and Metuktire’s request. “We are part of nature and we can’t guarantee our fundamental human rights if we don’t protect the rights of nature to exist, regenerate and thrive.”
https://apple.news/AuMvBcM_iROusrOvUd7Nr8Q
People are the problem. Covid is the solution.
Except it’s not because it doesn’t kill very many people relative to global.pooulation. try again
What?! Do you think that the media and government has been overhyping this?! No way! You must be Q….
One side effect of covid is record low population growth, meaning less people had kids during the pandemic than any time in recent history. Bad news for unfunded pension liability and social programs for old people.
But good news for the planet and therefore the humans on it -who must learn to live sustainably, possibly figure out a different economic model than plunder, exploit and rape. Cue “Logan’s Run” soundtrack….
Unfortunately it was not. I was kind of hoping it would clear out some of the baby boomers and help our problem with housing inventory in this nation.
Ilove plants, you must of missed the part about the 14 acre irrigation field.
Rio Dell should buy their water from Southern California they have plenty.
They must- they are still washing their cars daily. They are so sophisticated down there…
We need more people to Store rainwater for the dry periods, yes even in rio Dell ! it’s hard for municipalities to incentivize rain storage though as it cuts into profits .So if the state provided reimbursement funds it would make it a more attractive option to municipalities . California could implement a program like Austin Texas where you can receive up to $500 dollars a year off your water bill if you Store up rainwater for non potable uses.
It’s against the law to collect rainwater without a permit in California. Colorado too.
The Eel river down by Scotia was remarkably low this past weekend.
Next time your going north over the river bridge right before Myers Flat, look upstream, but not if your driving.
There is so much gravel jamming up the river channel there the river is just flowing down one side barely, and
anything else, if there is anything else, must be running beneath all that gravel.
It’s a super low and narrow run through there today.
That area used to be big deep slow swimming holes for a long way.
Now,
I would say 90% of the channel width is dry, the flow five foot in depth, maybe less, and the width looked about maybe ten feet.
The least flow that I have ever seen there that I can remember in the last 40 yrs.
maybe we should build more dams and create more lakes so there is more water we have options over. instead we let it run to the ocean then complain about ocean rise. good thing we have trinity lake and ruth or the rivers would lool just like the EEL
Silly human! Dams are for beavers!