Wineries get grant to protect fish

A coalition of north Sonoma County grape growers and wineries has received a $270,000 federal grant to provide education and in-stream projects to protect steelhead and salmon.

The idea is to make sure the interests of the fish and agriculture are both served, said Marc Kelley of the Sonoma County Salmon Coalition.

"We have a huge vibrant wine and grape as well as a dairy industry that in this county economically is the engine that drives it," Kelley said. "Now we have listed fish in every stream in Sonoma County."

The two-year-old coalition is made up of 200 landowners and wineries in Dry Creek, Alexander and Knights valleys.

The coalition wrote the application for the grant that was received by the nonprofit Russian River Property Owners Association.

The three-year grant is one of 45 nationwide and four in California given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Resources Conservation Service for conservation technologies.

"The hope is to allow agriculture to continue, to assist them in finding ways that they can continue to farm and help with salmon recovery," said Charlette Epifanio, a conservation specialist in the federal service's Petaluma office.

The Russian River and its tributaries are home to coho and chinook salmon and steelhead. Chinook are on the federal endangered species list.

Epifanio said a major issue is the use of water by growers during the summer when Russian River levels are low.

Last year, when the Sonoma County Water Agency was under a state order to reduce the amount of water it took out of the river by 15 percent, growers irrigated at night and worked out a staggered irrigation schedule so they weren't drawing water out at the same time.

Epifanio said another project could be the use of ponds and reservoirs to capture winter rainwater for use by agriculture in the summer.

"There's an interest by regulatory agencies to limit the amount of water taken in the summertime, and agriculture relies on that water for crop growth and also frost control, she said. "Agriculture is wanting to be proactive in looking for how they can continue to have access to water in a way that is more fish friendly."

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com