The Russian River is currently the most heavily mined river in California and it is listed as one of the twenty most threatened rivers in the American continent. The river is in severe decline and much is due to Gravel mining. Mining along the river has been going on for 40 years and is in the midst of being stopped. The greatest litigation in the history of gravel mining is currently going on regarding the mining in the Russian River.
Mining has had a profound effect on fish, land, and forests. It has contributed the most to the extinction of the Coho Salmon and the Steelhead Trout. Sediments from the mining cloud up the water and get into the fishes gills. When the sediment enters the gills, the fish lose their supply of oxygen and die. The mining also forces the fish into other locations. The fish often die because of extreme populations in those areas. The deep gravel pits make the current stronger. The fish are not accustomed to the swift currents, therefore many die.
Industrial gravel mining has removed millions of tons of material from the channel and the floodplain terrace. From 1981 to 1990 the average gravel removal was 891 thousand tons per year. The rivers present sediment transport process will not be able to replace this loss in the near future. The river bed has dropped 20 to 22 feet in some mining areas. Residents say "Good, there will be less chance of flooding". Even though the bed has been incised that much, the flow of tributaries has been disrupted into the mainstream. This has also dropped the water in some areas causing wells to dry up. Trees along the river are also deprived of their natural water supply and left to die.
Further complicating any attempt to restore the Russian River is the presence of nine very large, and deep gravel extraction pits along the river. The bottom of these pits range from 50 to 80 feet below the lowest point in the river channel. Deposits of mud and sand formed by flowing water, called alluvium, separates the deep pits from the river channel. This separator averages about 50 to 100 feet in width and is made of river sediments that have been flowing through the river for many thousands of years. Over time these pits may meander and migrate into the deep holes and cause massive channel downcutting and bank erosion. When that occurs it would significantly affect agricultural land, forests, and river habitats. It would also likely cause a permanent loss of aquifer storage and water supply.
Syar Industries, one mining company, argues these issues. They say mining is helping residents out by cutting down flood possibility. This idea has seemed to help in the storms of '98. Despite what Syar Industries seems to claim, the river level reached the fifth highest in its historical record. They also like to stick to the notion that they are providing many needed jobs for Sonoma County.
So far state agencies have agreed to develop a coordinated action plan for resource and land use management of the Russian River. Federal and local agencies have also agreed to participate in the planning effort, representing the first step towards a comprehensive solution to protecting the Russian River and its resources.