The Subregion is blessed with an
abundance of natural resources. The natural resources. The Jurisdictions
recognize the value of these resources and the importance to the Subregion of
their protection and management.
The following Subregional Issues relate
to natural resources.
How to:
- Protect the Subregion's agricultural
economy, with the attendant visual and other quality of life benefits enjoyed
by residents throughout the Subregion.
- Permit the extraction of sand and
gravel from the Russian River area, while protecting water quality and other
uses in the area (e.g., residences and vineyards).
- Protect wetlands, including vernal
pools, within the Subregion while, at the same time, not unduly restricting
economic development or the interests of private property owners.
- Protect scenic resources that are of
subregional importance.
- Dispose of wastewater generated in the
Subregion in a safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sound manner.
- Protect waterways and preserve water
quality within the Subregion.
- Ensure an adequate supply of water for
various uses within the Subregion.
- Protect effectively against flood
hazard within the Subregion.
- Preserve and, as needed, improve air
quality within the Subregion.
- Provide appropriate protection to
plants and animals within the Subregion, including rare and endangered plan and
animal species, while, at the same time, not unduly restricting economic
development or the interests of private property owners.
- Ensure the provision of adequate
parkland within the Subregion.
- Ensure the Subregion's ongoing ability
to deal effectively with its solid waste.
- Protecting agriculture
- The Jurisdictions should continue to
support the policies in the Agricultural Resources Element of the County's
General Plan.
- In order to reduce urban/agricultural
conflicts, each Jurisdiction should develop and implement policies applicable
to proposed urban development near existing agricultural uses. Such policies
should be sensitive to the needs of ongoing agricultural activities.
- The Jurisdictions, in cooperation with
the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, should
identify critical agricultural lands for acquisition of development rights, and
should cooperate in facilitating such acquisition.
- Managing sand and gravel
extraction
- The Jurisdictions should abide by
Sonoma County's Aggregate Resources Management Plan.
- Protecting vernal pools and other
wetlands
- The Jurisdictions should cooperate in
developing a subregional wetlands policy, addressing issues such as
acquisition, enhancement, monitoring and management.
- The Jurisdictions should continue to
encourage the timely completion of the work of the Sonoma County Vernal Pools
Taskforce.
- Protecting scenic resources
- Each Jurisdiction should conserve
trees and other significant vegetation along designated scenic routes within
the Subregion, and should plant trees as appropriate in such areas.
- Managing wastewater
- The Jurisdictions should develop
long-term, cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions for wastewater
treatment and reuse.
- The Jurisdictions should continue and
expand use of treated wastewater as a resource.
- The Jurisdictions should support
programs to reduce the per capita generation of wastewater within the
Subregion.
- The Jurisdictions should encourage
appropriate application of sludge generated in the Subregion to agricultural
land within the Subregion, thereby taking advantage of the value of sludge as a
resource, while also reducing strains on land fill capacity.
- Protecting waterways and preserving
water quality
- The Jurisdictions, along with the
Sonoma County Water Agency, and recognizing that watersheds frequently lie
within more than one Jurisdiction, should develop a subregional waterways
master plan for the purpose of preserving and restoring creeks and other
waterways and their surrounding habitats.
- The Jurisdictions should work
cooperatively to protect, enhance, and restore waterways of subregional,
regional, and/or statewide importance, including San Pablo Bay, and wetlands
and upland habitats adjacent to such waterways.
- Each Jurisdiction should ensure that
land use decisions do not impair surface water and groundwater quality of the
Subregion.
- Ensuring adequate water
supply
- The Jurisdictions should prepare and
implement a Subregional Water Conservation and Reclamation Plan for the purpose
of conserving water and avoiding the need for costly storage and distribution
facilities to serve the Subregion.
- Each Jurisdiction should identify and
protect groundwater recharge areas and monitor groundwater extraction in order
to prevent overdrafting.
- Protecting against flood
hazard
- Each Jurisdiction should implement and
enforce its existing flood management program.
- The Jurisdictions should work
cooperatively to ensure provision of identified multi-jurisdictional storm
drainage improvements.
- The Jurisdictions should encourage the
Federal Emergency Management Agency to complete and refine its mapping of flood
hazard areas. The Jurisdictions should provide recommendations to FEMA
regarding the order in which areas should be addressed.
- Preserving and improving air
quality
- Each Jurisdiction should develop and
adopt an air quality element in its general plan or otherwise integrate air
quality goals, pollicies and programs into its general plan.
- The Jurisdictions should continue to
cooperate with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District or, if applicable,
the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, in implementing the
appropriate Clean Air Plan.
- Protecting biological
resources
- The Jurisdictions should support
creating a habitat conservation system for the Subregion designed to meet
diverse biological needs while addressing economic development considerations.
Such an effort would be undertaken in cooperation with appropriate local, state
and federal agencies; environmental organizations; developers industry groups;
and other interested parties.
- Each Jurisdiction should encourage the
restoration of degraded riparian habitats along waterways of subregional
importance.
- Each Jurisdiction should retain
existing riparian vegetation along waterways of subregional importance.
- The Jurisdictions should cooperate in
identifying critical riparian and other habitats for acquisition by public or
non-profit entities, and in facilitating such acquisition.
- The Jurisdictions should promote
protection for the native marine and shoreline plant and animal communities
along the Pacific coastline and San Pablo Bay shoreline.
- Ensuring adequate parkland
- The Jurisdictions should work
cooperatively regarding the development, operation and maintenance of parks and
other recreational facilities.
- Dealing with solid waste
- Each Jurisdiction should continue to
implement cost-effective solid waste source reduction programs.
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