Wastewater expert raises new concerns with logging plan

A local wastewater expert has highlighted major new concerns with the Silver Estates Timber Harvest Plan (THP) near Guerneville.

Robert Rawson, a former supervisor at the Russian River County Sanitation District (RRCSD) with over 40 years experience in wastewater operation, has written to Cal Fire objecting to the logging plan.

Part of the 224-acres of forest to be logged covers the irrigation fields leased to the RRCSD. During the summer, recycled water from the RRCSD treatment plant on Neeley Road is sprayed onto the forest floor. Mr. Rawson oversaw operations at the plant when the area was logged during the 1980s. He recalls that the logged trees left major depressions in the ground, which then quickly filled with water. The standing water became a breeding ground for swarms of mosquitos.

He said: “The mosquito problem was so great in the 1980s that operators refused to work on irrigation equipment until, in 1992, my friend, Brenda Adelman, video recorded the problem. This brought enough pressure on the district that I was able to enlist the help of a mosquito expert and develop biological control.”

Mr. Rawson also noted that, with fewer large trees to absorb the recycled water, the soil will become saturated, leading to greater landslide risk. He recalls that previous logging reduced the capacity of the Redwoods in the Silver Grove to absorb all the water. As a result, the treatment plant had to rely more heavily on irrigating the steep forested hillsides of Neeley Hill. This led to effluent run-off and wash outs.

These and other concerns raised by Robert Rawson, including the impact of logging on the 2,000 year old Clar Tree, are explained in this Q&A.