‘Abandoned Pipeline’ Needs Monitoring at Old Healdsburg Sewer Site, City Says

Healdsburg city officials are looking for a local firm to “provide biological monitoring services” at the stream running alongside the city’s big sewer station on Magnolia Drive, at the southwest edge of town. They want the firm to report back on the “health of the vegetation” planted in the streambed last year — as well as assess whether some old, abandoned pipelines left in the streambed “are becoming an impediment to fish.” City documents say that when “the City of Healdsburg constructed a pipeline under Dry Creek near 1026 Magnolia Drive” in early 2020, “a portion of this construction disturbed the secondary stream channel on the north side of the stream,” which flows into Dry Creek. State rules reportedly require that the city “restore the vegetation disturbed by the work, monitor the health of the new plantings, and verify that after 5 years 80 percent of the plants have survived, 70 percent coverage after 3 years, and 75 percent coverage after 5 years.” So we’re already playing catchup — because for the first three years, city documents say the vegetation situation actually got WORSE, with fewer plants surviving each year. In 2023, the city hired a different landscaping company to redo the planting. So now, as I understand it, city leaders want to hire someone else to tell them how this whole delicate sewer-side ecosystem is holding up. The documents also say that “as part of the pipeline project referenced above, the City abandoned existing cast or ductile iron pipes that have been exposed at the streambed of Dry Creek. The abandoned pipes were filled with cellular concrete and left in place. The City is working with Sonoma Water to have these abandoned pipelines removed under a separate Sonoma Water work effort.” But until then, these old pipes have to be monitored (along with the plants) to make sure they’re not stopping local fish from getting where they’re trying to go. If you think you’re the person for the job, you can submit your “bid” on the city’s website. (Source: City of Healdsburg & City of Healdsburg)