grapegrowing
Mean monthly discharge (left) and daily discharge (right) is shown in cfs for water years 1951 to 2012 at United States Geological Survey stream
gauging station 11468000 on the Navarro River near Navarro, Mendocino County, Calif.
protection events, the SWRCB still wanted to
implement regulations and fees to discourage
the practice. In 2012, several growers sued the
SWRCB, and a local judge found that the proposed rules were not supported by substantial
evidence in the record. SWRCB failed to follow proper procedure to declare frost protection with water as "unreasonable." They also
failed to follow the rule of water rights priority
48 W in e s & V i ne s January 20 14
and didn't take economic impacts into
account. The SWRCB is appealing, and this
suit will no doubt continue for a long time.
What growers have done
Even though the winegrowing industry has
won the first round of this legal skirmish,
there are definite changes in attitudes and
practice. In both the Navarro and Russian
River watersheds, many vineyards have their
own reservoirs to impound water when river
flows are high. Growers have revalved their
sprinkler systems for frost protection so that
they only turn on water in the areas most
likely to freeze. Weather instrumentation and
frost forecasting are being improved. There
is a new gauge on the main stem of the Russian River that allows a more active water-
