A proposal to include two North Coast rivers in the state's Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is intended to keep them off-limits to a scheme to export water to Southern California.
Under a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, portions of the Gualala and Albion rivers could not be tapped for water shipments outside the region.
Berg's bill would designate the lower portions of the rivers as ``recreational'' under California's Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which prohibits such exports.
The bill was sparked by a now-defunct proposal to fill colossal fiberpoly bags with water from the two rivers and tow them by boat to San Diego. Although the proposal may seem far-fetched, the technique has been used to move water in Turkey and Cyprus.
The entrepreneur behind the proposed project is now looking toward less controversial water sources, including several municipal districts in the Pacific Northwest and the Mad River in Humboldt County.
Berg said her legislation is intended to protect against further schemes to siphon off water from the rivers. She said it will protect fish and wildlife, as well as the local economy, which is tied to tourism and the recreational opportunities the rivers provide.
The legislation cleared a hurdle on Monday when it won bipartisan approval in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
Assemblywoman Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, and state Sen. Wes Chesbro, D-Arcata, are co-sponsors of the bill.
Gail Lucas of Friends of the Albion, which initially proposed the legislation to Chesbro last year, said, ``If the rivers hadn't come under attack, we wouldn't have thought about giving them this special designation.''
She said the Albion and Gualala have ``extraordinary beauty and ecological value. They don't have extra water. They need the water for fish. You need high flows in winter to flush out sediment and clean the gravel.''
Jim Jordan, a retired computer researcher who lives at The Sea Ranch, said the water bag export scheme would have involved significant environmental degradation. The riverbeds would have been dug up to install collector cisterns, filters, pumps and pipes.
Jordan said the ``recreational'' designation will help attract more canoeists and kayakers to enjoy the tranquility of the Gualala and its redwood-lined banks.
Berg, who spent the weekend canoeing on both rivers, said her bill would protect the lower 3.5 miles of the Albion in Mendocino County and about 11 miles of the lower Gualala and its two forks in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
It would prohibit dams, reservoirs and water impoundments, but allow diversions for domestic water to residents of the counties through which the rivers flow.
Logging interests initially expressed opposition to the the bill. But Berg said that has softened and the largest landowner along the Albion, Mendocino Redwood Co., now supports the measure.
You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or cmason@pressdemocrat.com.