Carneros Ranch Project Keeps Environmentalists Guessing

At the southern edge of Petaluma, where the San Pablo Bay meets the Petaluma River, a North Bay company has big plans to convert the former floodplain into a 528 acre farm by mixing dredge spoils with worm castings.

But the project is raising eyebrows among some environmentalists who say the salinity in the groundwater makes farming all but impossible, according to a new article in this week's Bohemian. Instead they fear it's the first step toward a more industrial project, one that would rely on rail, barge and truck freight of aggregate materials.

J.T. Wick, a Petaluma resident and principal at Berg Holdings, says Carneros Ranch, off Highway 37, will receive and process 18.5 million cubic yards of wet dredge spoils from San Pablo Bay and combine it with worm castings from Sonoma Vermiculture, another company based on the ranch, to create fertile soil to grow grapes, tomatoes and other produce.

Last year, the local chapter of the Sierra Club asked the County Board of Zoning Adjustments to conduct a full environmental review, but was denied. They have appealed BZA's decision and a hearing is set for January. 

To read the full story, click here.