Coming Together: The Russian River System

Narrator: Do you live in a watershed?
Of course you do! Everybody does! Chapter 1 of “Our Watershed Stories,”
begins in Sonoma County—that’s where we’ll meet the Russian Riverkeeper!
Don McInHill: No matter where you live, you’re connected
to a river or a lake or the ocean and what you do at your house affects those water bodies
because of the way we built our cities.
Narrator: It makes sense that the riverkeeper knows
a thing or two about watersheds: but why are they so important?
Kate Wilson Before I started getting involved with water
issues, I didn't even know where my water came from. Like many people, you just turn
on the tap and there’s the water and you don’t think much about it. The Russian River
provides drinking water for over 6-hundred-thousand people, all the way down into Marin.
Don McInhill It looks like a highly natural river. The
reality is we have two major dams on this river. We also have water that’s diverted
from the watershed north of us in the Eel River into the Russian to augment our water
supplies.
Bill Hearn The Russian River is a major watershed and
it historically supported Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and Steelhead. Their numbers were
dramatically reduced because of all kinds of impacts.
Narrator: Now, we’re finally learning to celebrate
the Russian as a resource: both for nature, and for recreation!
Don McInhill: If the Russian River wasn’t here, we would
not have this community that we do today.
Narrator: Watch video extras, connect to resources and
learn more: all online at Our Watershed Stories.org!