The Sonoma County Water Agency was formed in 1949 as a Special District operating under the direction of a Board of Directors, which is the Board of Supervisors. The Agency has many responsibilities pertaining to our water supply, flood control and power generation. They are responsible for water sanitation and water reclamation, also called water recycling.(Sonoma County Water Agency) The Agency is also responsible for helping identify resource needs within the Russian River watershed, with goals for restoration and enhancement. (Sonoma County Water Agency 3)
The Agency provides water for many purposes including drinking and domestic purposes, industrial and agricultural use, fire fighting and emergencies. The Agency does monitoring and laboratory testing to make sure the water that comes into our communities is safe. (Sonoma County Water Agency)
The Sonoma County Water Agency, along with many other state and federal agencies, are very much concerned and involved in issues pertaining to health and safety, conservation, and enhancing and preserving our environment, including the Russian River.
The Agency works with environmental specialists, design engineers and construction inspectors in designing and constructing environmentally sensitive projects in order to lessen the impact on fish, animals, and plants. They are concerned with the water quality and improving the habitat of fish, particularly the steelhead trout and coho salmon, and the wildlife in and around local streams and rivers, including the Russian River. (Sonoma County Water Agency)
In March of 1997, the Sonoma County Water Agency compiled the first edition of the Russian River Action Plan. They felt it was important and necessary to assess the resource needs and restoration opportunities within the region.
In a list of "North America's Twenty Most Threatened Rivers of 1996", a national river conservation organization called American Rivers, Inc., ranked the Russian River as the 15th most threatened river in North America. (Sonoma County Water Agency 1)
There are a number of interrelated reasons that have affected the numbers of salmon and steelhead trout in the Russian River. Some of these include hatchery planting, river and tributary flow rate and water temperature, sport and commercial fishing, barriers to migration, and water diversion. Some of these causes happen naturally and some are caused by human intervention. (Sonoma County Water Agency 1)
The Sonoma County Water Agency, other state and federal agencies, and local organizations, are working very hard to preserve and restore the habitat of the coho salmon and steelhead trout in the Russian River and its tributaries. Through their combined efforts, they are hoping to improve and enhance the environmental conditions affecting the Russian River watershed in order to reverse the extinction of the coho salmon and steelhead trout.