Sanctuary Forest

September 20, 2005


Water shortage has become a global problem, necessitating a change in how societies value and use water. Today's water scarcity challenges us to recognize the preciousness of water and learn how to steward this resource.

	Surveying river flows in the upper Mattole River. Photo: Pierre Gaude

Since 1997, the community of the Upper Mattole River has been impacted by extreme low flows in the late summer and early fall months. Sanctuary Forest is working to develop and implement solutions to this low-flow crisis, along with the Mattole Restoration Council and the Mattole Salmon Group. A $2.8 million program has been developed called "The Mattole Integrated Water Management Project," which received top ranking amongst competing proposals from seven North Coast counties. Sanctuary Forest is slated to receive $600,000 for the installation of 14 large-capacity storage tanks and forbearance agreements. These tanks will be placed in critical reaches of the headwaters to store plentiful winter water for domestic use during the crucial dry season.

This June, Sanctuary Forest completed the first water conservation easement in the Mattole watershed. This breakthrough easement includes a legal forbearance agreement in which the landowner agrees to refrain from pumping river water during low-flow months.

A very successful River Conference was held on July 9th, facilitated by Chris Maser, environmental scientist and philosopher. More than 75 residents attended the conference, which focused on the causes and solutions to the low-flow crisis.

Sediment pollution also contributes to the low-flow problem. This summer bulldozers, excavators, and dump trucks are moving into the Mattole River headwaters to decommission abandoned logging roads that are the source of 80% of the sediment that clogs the river.

All of these projects are part of a greater watershed-wide effort to return the Mattole River to a state of health and vitality.

For more information: 707/986-1087,
www.sanctuaryforest.org



This article can be found online at www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-215

Forest & River News is produced by Trees Foundation.