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It appears we have a renegade timber operator here. Something has to be done to bring them into compliance." - Stan Plowman North Coast Regional Water Quality Board Water board member labels PL as 'renegade' By David Anderson The Times-Standard EUREKA - Pacific Lumber Co. has agreed to provide water for Elk River ranchers and residents whose supplies have been conta- minated by sediment. The agreement, announced last week, comes in response to an abatement order issued by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board. Attorneys for PL stipulated that the company does not admit to any legal liability for siltation of the river that may have contributed to flooding. Water quality board members expressed frustration at the alleged inability or disinclination of the California Department of Forestry to enforce rules intended to protect watercourses, and its disregard of their recommendations when approving PL timber harvest plans. Board members warned that PL's waste discharge waiver may no longer be routinely approved, a move that would - make it difficult for the company to conduct clearcut harvesting. "It appears we have a renegade timber operator here," said board member Stan Plowman. "Something has to be done to bring them into compliance." PL maintains that siltation of the Elk River, Freshwater Creek and other streams running through its timberlands results from natural causes, not its logging and road-building activities. They contend heavy rains, erodable soils and earthquakes are largely responsible for landslides that choke streams. But the water agency staff report states that clearcut logging, especially when it violates the state Forest Practice Act, substantially increases natural siltation. It found that landslide volume was 13 times higher from recently clearcut sections of the Elk River watershed than from areas not recently logged. There have been significant discharges of sediment from PALCO's lands in the North Fork of the.Elk River," the report states. "Although large storms are a significant factor in the timing and cause of the discharges, a disproportionate amount of sediment is discharged from roads and areas with recent harvesting activity. "PALCO has shown a pattern of violations of the Forest Practice Rules that have resulted in discharges of sediment in violation of the basin plan." The sediment has filled up pools and channels in the river, the report states, and damaged residents' hot water heaters, agricultural spray equipment and water supply' intakes. More than 20 residents of Elk. River and of Freshwater appeared before the board on Thursday to describe flooding and damage to their property and water supplies they attribute to PL logging. They asked that new abatement orders be issued for Freshwater Creek and the Mattole River. Residents also voiced frustration at an ina- bility to obtain relief via CDF. The CDF process is broken," said Freshwater resident Bob Martel. "It's not working- it's not stopping the harm. They stressed that they are "not anti-logging" and contrasted the present behavior of PL with the company's former policies before its 1986 change of ownership. That company used to be an excellent neighbor," said resident Alan Cooke.
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