The City of Santa Rosa has produced an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on a wastewater discharge project that considers using Steelhead Beach as one of two possible direct river discharge points. The comment period has closed, but the EIR has not yet been certified and a project not yet selected.
The time to influence decisions is coming soon!
The Facts:
The Proposal includes placement of a 48" pipeline through the park's entrance, the main road, and down Osprey Trail to the river. Osprey trail would be widened from 15' to 50' to accommodate construction and later be paved into a 30' access road.
The Project also includes an under-river concrete diffuser with dimensions of 12' wide, 20' deep and 65' long. It would allow 69 million gallons a day to be discharged between October 1st and May 15th. This diffuser would be placed about 400' UPSTREAM of the very popular Children's Beach, and could be exposed during heavy floods and cause serious problems during summer low-flow recreational periods.
