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The
108 Partnership, landowners of the parcel South of Valley House Drive
and North of Railroad Avenue, have filed suit against the City of Rohnert
Park. The suit challenges the Settlement Agreement formed between the
City of Rohnert Park and the South County Resource Preservation Committee.
The Agreement called for the return of Lands, identified as groundwater
recharge areas, to the Penngrove domain. The 108 Partnership bought the property in or about 1980, 4
years before the Penngrove Specific Plan was adopted. The Penngrove
Specific Plan protected these identified recharge areas by restricting
the zoning to 1 home per 20 acres. County Lands annexed by Cities lose
County Zoning restrictions. In short, the 108 Partnership is mad, they
have waited for over 20 years for their property to be annexed by the
City of Rohnert Park. Land with unrestricted zoning, sewage and water
infrastructure, is worth infinitely more than restricted use County
Lands.
It is noteworthy that at no time did the 108 Partnership
challenge the formation of the Penngrove Specific Plan prior to its adoption
by the County Board of Supervisors in 1984. Why? Promises were made
to the investment group behind closed doors. No one anticipated our
area and perhaps others in Sonoma County would be running out of water,
no one anticipated a lawsuit by the residents who are fed up with the
lack of County representation.
Private consultants have identified a
sub region of the Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Basin; the Basin is the "bowl of water" from
which we all drink. The sub basin recharges at a rate of 1,600,000
gallons a day. That's right; everyone in this region shares the same
resource. For the past three years the Sonoma County Water Agency has
been using its "Emergency Wells" everyday to the tune of
1,700,000 gallons per day to supplement Russian River extractions.
Those groundwater supplies are mixed with surface water supplies and
delivered to your home via the Sonoma County Water Agency Aqueduct.
I have recently met with representatives of several other groups here
in the
County who will begin surveying well users to ascertain to what extent
groundwater supplies in their area are declining too.
John King |
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| A well
survey form is available here. If you have not
already done so please fill one out and send it to me John King
at P.O. Box 127,
Penngrove, Ca 94951.
The
South County Resource Preservation Committee will participate in
the suit brought against Rohnert Park, although the Committee is
not a defendant, they are a party to the agreement.
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