JULY

 Supervisors approve updated coastal plan.

A revised Local Coastal Plan that adds new protections for the Sonoma Coast was unanimously approved by Sonoma County Supervisors.  One goal of the plan is to help stave off a large hydropower project that has been recently proposed for the Fort Ross area.  The amended plan is a nearly1,000 page document designed to safe guard coastal values and keep pace with changing concerns and conditions.  The plan was last updated in 2001 and must now be approved by the California Coastal Commission.  Here are some of the policies in the plan.

• Prohibition on desalination plants except where necessary to preserve public health and safety in existing communities.
• Language to forestall new, industrial-scale wastewater or stormwater discharges into the ocean.
• Retain or revise key policies targeting coastal communities with specific protections tailored to their needs and vulnerabilities.

Read the entire plan on the county web site.  Go to www.SonomaCounty.Ca.gov.  In the search box enter Supervisors approve Local Coastal Plan.