Posted on Jul 16, 2017
by Kerana Todorov
HUNDREDS OF VINEYARD OWNERS in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds face new state regulations as part of an effort to improve water quality in rivers and creeks, which are home to the Chinook salmon and other native species. The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board on Wednesday approved the new waste discharge requirements over the objections from industry representatives who said the order was ambiguous, vague and needed more work. The votes to approve the EIR and the Waste Discharge Requirements were both 5-0.
Posted in Industry News, NVG News on Jul 14, 2017
by Cynthnia Sweeney
Vineyard owners in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds are facing new regulations after a decision by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board meeting July 12.
The decision is the result of a lengthy environmental-impact report years in the making that addresses protection of species and habitat in the area.
Posted in Industry News, NVG News on Jul 13, 2017
by Barry Eberling
Grape growers in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds face new regulations designed to help reduce sediment eroding into waterways where it can hurt fish.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board on Wednesday passed regulations that have been years in the making. Growers will have to prepare farm plans to control sediment, nutrients and other materials that can run off during storms from vineyards and dirt roads.
Posted in Industry News, Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation, NVG News on Jul 09, 2017
by Esther Mobley
Wake-up time is 4:30 a.m. for Jesus Angel Sanchez Victoria and Cesar Alegria Ruiz. It’s early — but then again, everyone wakes up early at the River Ranch Farmworker Housing Center in St. Helena, where breakfast is served between 3 and 6 a.m.
Before they leave for their vineyard jobs, Ruiz and Victoria grab a sandwich or a burrito from the River Ranch kitchen. When their workday with Corona Vineyard Management ends — often around 4 p.m., depending on how hot it gets — it’s back to River Ranch. They spend their evenings doing laundry, listening to music, playing basketball and, every night, calling their families.
Posted in Industry News, Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation on Jul 08, 2017
by Henry Lutz
A decade ago, Silvia Ortiz was unemployed and desperate for work. But with scant grasp of English and unable to speak it, she remembers having to ask her then 6-year-old son: “How can I tell the winemaker that I am looking for a job?”