Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/235941
grapegrowing no frosts some years and as many as 20 nights other years. Less than 20 miles away to the east, the Upper Russian River Watershed is a contrast. In a slightly bigger watershed with less average rainfall, Coyote Dam impounds nearly 100,000 acre-feet on the east fork of the Russian River just north of the city of Ukiah, Calif. The dam was constructed to prevent disastrous downstream flooding, but it is also a significant irrigation and municipal water source controlled by both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Sonoma County Water Agency. Water is released from the dam all year, so many farmers can make direct diversions from the Russian River to irrigate their farms. Further upstream, water flows through a tunnel from the Eel River at Van Arsdale Dam to generate hydropower in Potter Valley. The water then drains into the Russian River. In Mendocino County, nearly 20,000 acres use the Russian River or its underflow as an irrigation source. There are some great aquifers near the river that allow high-yielding wells capable of pumping more than 1,000 gallons per minute. Water continues downstream into Sonoma County. Before the Russian River eventually empties into the Pacific Ocean, many thousand acre-feet are diverted for towns and cities along the river, as well as water that is sold by Sonoma County Water Agency to thirsty Marin County. The Russian River is being asked to function as both a natural ecosystem as well as a major water conveyance for urban water. The problem with the Russian River channel is the direct opposite of the Navarro River: Coyote Dam is restricting the flow of alluvium through the watershed, and the river is incising the channel. The result is that the river is dropping in elevation, and the banks have been destabilized, causing considerable erosion. In Comparison of the Upper Russian River and Navarro River Watersheds Navarro Watershed Russian River Watershed Total area 315 square miles Average rainfall per year Peak flow (2005 New Year's Eve flood) 40.6 inches 62,000 cubic feet per second 362 square miles 36.6 inches 35,000 cubic feet per second Total irrigated agriculture in acres 3,124 20,614 Total wine grape acres 2,790 15,539 Water use, total average frost protection 700 acre-feet 3,000 acre-feet Water use, total irrigation for vineyards 600 acre-feet 12,000 acre-feet Average water use per vineyard acre 0.46 acre-feet Total percent of river flow for irrigated agriculture Total water storage for agriculture Total flow of the river during study year 1.4% (2009) 0.96 acre-feet 10% (2007) 850 acre-feet (small ponds and reservoirs) 8,000+ acre-feet (Lake Mendocino and numerous small reservoirs) 106,917 acre-feet (2009) 237,340 acre-feet (2007) Visit our Booth at the Unified Symposium! Your Source for All Vineyard Trellising Supplies Largest Manufacturer of Grape Stakes Nationwide! Grape Stakes | Wire | Grow Tubes | Fencing | T-Posts | Bird Netting Vine Protection | Anchors | End Posts | Tying Materials | Cross Arms All Trellising | And More! 800.423.8016 www.JimsSupply.com 46 W in es & V i ne s January 20 14 See us at Unified booth #906