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The Geysers getting credit for a cleaner Russian River

Posted by: Maven on May 27, 2009 at 6:22 am

From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

The biggest reason the Russian River is free of Santa Rosa’s wastewater this past year is because of The Geysers. The steam fields, which convert wastewater into steam to generate electricity, consumed 65 percent of the highly treated effluent generated by Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Sebastopol and pumped to The Geysers over the past year, city records show.

Before The Geysers’ wastewater-to-electricity project was completed in late 2003, most of that effluent would have gone down the river during winter months.

“I had a gut feeling when the city picked The Geysers project it would be a really good thing,” said Brenda Adelman of Guerneville, a river activist. She has been at the forefront of demands by river residents that the city dramatically reduce its river discharges. “It’s turned out better than I anticipated. It’s so much better putting it there than in the river,” she said.

Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.

Picture credit: Steam pipes at the Geysers by KQED Quest, posted on flickr.

May 27, 2009 · Filed Under Northern California

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