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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Wine
grape watering clashes with salmon protection<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>S.F.
Chronicle-1/29/10<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>By
Jason Dearen (Associated Press)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In
this cool, fertile wine growing county in Northern California, grape growers
are stomping mad at a new plan to limit the amount of water vineyards can pump
from local rivers and streams to protect their crops from frost — a draft
regulation meant to safeguard coho salmon, a species on the brink of extinction
here.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Sonoma
County, next to the more famous Napa Valley, has a fast-growing wine industry
— vineyard acreage has increased 30 to 40 percent over the past decade and
the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>But
now that growth has run up against federal protections for coho salmon, an
endangered species that once filled the streams and rivers along California's
central and northern coasts and now has crashed to nearly nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In
the spring, when hibernating vines start coming to life, temperatures can drop
below freezing overnight, destroying the young grapes. During these frigid
nights, growers spray river water onto the vines, encasing them in a protective
frozen shell that shields them from the harsh weather.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Farmers
say one bad night, when temperatures drop five to 10 degrees below freezing
quickly, could wipe out huge percentages of their crop.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"It
could, it very well could. Down here in the bottom, if we don't have the water,
it's not going to get it done," said vineyard manager Paul Foppiano,
standing in a low-lying field of pinot noir vines near the Russian River.
Sprinkers hovered over the gnarled vines in a part of his family's 140 acres,
which have been producing wine in Sonoma County since 1896.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"The
problem with frost is one year you might have to run 15 to 20 nights like we
did a couple of years ago," he said. "Last year we only ran three or
four nights so you're not using a whole lot (of water)."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Foppiano
is not against the state managing the use of river water to help protect fish,
but believes accurate accounting of water use by other county growers is needed
before any regulatory decisions are made.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"If
the state is willing to work with us, we're willing to work with anybody,"
he said "But there's got to be some answer to it other than to completely
cut us off. It's going to be a problem."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>At
issue is the continued existence of the hook-mouthed coho salmon and the threatened
steelhead trout that spawn in these coastal streams and rivers — a
habitat that stretches from Alaska to central California. While coho still
thrive in Alaska, their once plentiful stocks in California and Oregon are
under threat, federal fisheries managers say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Under
the state's proposed regulation, any pumping would be illegal unless approved
by the State Water Board's management program. The new rule could be in effect
by 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>State
water regulators say using river water for frost protection is legal, but are
seeking a middle ground that will protect fish and grapes while ensuring some
oversight.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"The
goal is not to shut (pumping) down, but to make sure it's done in a responsible
manner with an eye to making sure the resources are protected," said Vicky
Whitney, deputy director for the State Water Board.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>With
vineyards spreading quickly in the area, it was only a matter of time before
the burgeoning industry ran into a water issue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In
2008 and 2009, both drought years, pumping by vineyards resulted in the deaths
of hundreds of coho and steelhead as creek levels dropped, stranding the fish.
The kills were well documented in local media, spurring outrage from
environmentalists and concern from federal fisheries managers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>State
water officials and federal regulators said it is likely that many more fish
were killed in undocumented incidents, underscoring the need for quick action.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Growers
have challenged that assertion, saying the problems that resulted in the 2008 incidents
that stranded and killed hundreds of coho and steelhead have been addressed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"I
question the validity of their assertions of there being several
incidents," said Lex McCorvey, executive director of the Sonoma County
Farm Bureau, an advocate for the county's wine industry. "(Regulators)
have a responsibility to step forward with that information; that way the
problems can get fixed. In 2008, there were two incidents, both have been fixed
so they won't happen again."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Federal
studies show that pumping during cold snaps, especially in recent dry years
when river levels are low, has dramatic effects on the river and its
tributaries. A study presented by NMFS found that pumping for frost protection
in 2004 and 2005 resulted in a 97 percent reduction in surface flow of one of
the Russian River's key tributaries, Maacama Creek, and the water diversion's
effects were seen throughout the watershed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In
April, after documented fish kills, federal fishery biologists at NMFS urged
the State Water Board to take control of the vineyard pumping.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
water board gave the growers six months in 2009 to come up with their own
management plan, but after seeing it, decided to draft their own regulations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"The
agriculture industry is not necessarily wanting to self regulate; we want to
self-monitor and educate growers so they're using either no water out of the
Russian River or (conservation techniques)," said McCorvey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Meanwhile,
there remains no regulation in place this year governing pumping from the
Russian River, which concerns federal scientists and environmental groups.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"It
is problematic for us to not have regulatory coverage, because we view the
threat of frost protection activities as widespread and significant," said
David Hines, a federal fishery biologist and water rights specialist for NMFS.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Grape
growers say a whole year's crop could be wiped out if temperatures drop below
freezing and they're unable to spray. Environmentalists say the regulations
might be too little too late for the area's coho.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"The
state board started looking at frost pumping issues in 1997. They've had over a
decade to evaluate this issue," said Jeff Miller of the Center for
Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups that filed an intent to
sue in an effort to spur action.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"We
can't have more fish kills, that can't happen," Miller said. "If
there are further fish kills this spring, we'll probably go to court."#<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land/fax (call first to fax)</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
mobile</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
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