Overnight storms did more than just soak Guerneville yesterday; they overwhelmed the Russian River treatment plant south of town and sent untreated wastewater toward the lower Russian River, prompting health warnings along one of Sonoma County’s most iconic waterways. Local alert messages went out to nearby households, crews posted signs at popular river and coastal access points, and environmental specialists deployed for on-site assessments.
What Sonoma Water Says
Sonoma Water reports that the Russian River Treatment Plant on Neeley Road was hit with an atmospheric river that pushed flows to roughly four million gallons per day, far above the facility’s design capacity of about 710,000 gallons per day, according to Sonoma Water. The agency says…..