Gravel mining decision delayed

Build-up of gravel in the Gualala River is reigniting familiar debate in Sonoma County over whether riverbed mining helps or hinders the health of waterways.

For more than a decade, county supervisors have been discouraging mining of gravel in the Russian River. But now a request to restart gravel clearing in the southern reach of the Gualala River near Annapolis is pitting residents, activists, miners and businessmen against each other.

Tuesday, county supervisors heard arguments on both sides for more than an hour before concluding that a report from a hydrologist hired by the Friends of the Gualala River group was reason enough to delay further debate until next year.

On Jan. 29, supervisors hope to decide the matter, after giving county planners time to assess the report by Dennis Jackson, a consulting hydrologist who for five years was the hydrologist for the Mendocino County Water Agency.

Jackson's 24-page report concludes that 47 years of instream gravel mining has disrupted "the dynamic process of adjusting its width, depth and gradient in a way that allows it to transport the sediment load supplied to it by the watershed."

Several activists in the Friends of the Gualala River group said their river had benefited by cessation of gravel mining 15 years ago, bringing back fish and habitat that had been missing.

"It is absurd to think that after another 10 years of gravel mining (in the Gualala), the fish will come back," said Erick Dahlhoff of Point Arena with Friends of the Gualala.

But several proponents of instream mining argued the opposite, saying gravel is clogging the river, filling traditional fishing holes and allowing sediment to build up.

"My business is going away because the river is going away," said Wayne Harris, who rents kayaks. "It is a canyon full of gravel."

Rick O'Neill, a Gualala resident since 1953, said his family fished and picnicked along the river until "the gravel filled all the holes."

"Get rid of the gravel and you get rid of the silt," O'Neill said.

And Bill Brown, a Sea Ranch resident and real estate agent, argued that road and housing projects need local gravel in order to reduce fuel and transportation costs of importing rock.

"Building costs are notoriously high and that is a depressing factor in the local economy," Brown said.

The Gualala River mining request comes from Henry Alden of Gualala Redwoods Inc. to mine gravel on 12 bars, most located near Annapolis Road about a mile inland from the coast. Alden's company had mined gravel along the entire 15 miles of the river until 2006. His permit has now expired.

Stephen Butler, attorney for the mining company, said supervisors should approve a new 10-year permit because the request is similar to another instream gravel mining permit they issued for a company operating in Austin Creek. Like that one, Butler said the Gualala operation would be limited in scope, would limit stockpiling, would have a reclamation plan and would set a production cap of an average 40,000 cubic yards annually.

He said company officials "disagree strenuously with the conclusions" in the hydrologist's report. However, he said the company agreed to a delay until January in order to give planning officials time to review the hydrologist's findings.

The county planning commission has already unanimously approved the new gravel mining request and county planners have said negative effects of gravel mining would be remedied by restrictions on mining operations.

You can reach Staff Writer Bleys W. Rose at 521-5431 or bleys.rose@pressdemocrat.com.