Mouth of Russian River open after Sonoma County digs beach channel to prevent flooding

The sand-blocked mouth of the Russian River has opened after Sonoma County Tuesday had a heavy equipment operator dig a beach channel to release water from the river estuary to the ocean.

Sonoma Water, the county water agency, dug the trench to prevent the river from spilling into the town of Jenner amid extremely high tides and heavy surf, said water agency spokesman Barry Dugan.

The job finished around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, and water levels in the lagoon began to decline by that night, Dugan said. At its peak, the river’s surface swelled to over 9 feet at the nearby Highway 1 bridge.

The effort came as the National Weather Service warned of coastal flooding caused by high king tides and large breaking waves. A high surf advisory was in effect for the North Bay until 3 p.m. Wednesday.

This is the fifth time in last two months that the mouth of the river has closed.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian