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Current Articles GALLO TO PAY RECORD FINE FOR VINEYARD DAMAGE TIM
TESCONI / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Gallo Vineyards Inc. has agreed to pay more than $500,000 in fines and environmental improvements because of damage to a Sonoma County creek caused by a mudslide on a hillside being developed for vineyards. The fine, at $161,000, is the largest assessed for environmental damage related to vineyard development in Sonoma County. The slide at the Gallo property in late 2001 caused dirt and debris to wash into Porter Creek near Healdsburg, threatening fish in the waterway. The case has been under investigation by federal and state agencies for more than a year, with legal action coordinated by the Sonoma County district attorney. "Protecting our natural resources is one of our top priorities,'' District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said in a statement released Thursday. Under the terms of the settlement approved Thursday in Sonoma County Superior Court, Gallo also will spend $350,000 for environmental improvement projects at its Twin Valley Ranch, the site of the mudslide. Twin Valley Ranch, a former Healdsburg cattle ranch owned by the late actor Fred MacMurray, was acquired by the Gallo family in 1996. The Gallos are developing about 500 acres of vineyards on the 1,700-acre ranch on Westside Road. Gallo accepts responsibility for the mudslide and has taken measures to ensure that it won't happen again on its properties. "It was an unfortunate situation and we're paying the price,'' Jeff Lyon, viticulturist for Gallo's coastal vineyard operations, said Thursday. Lyon said the slide occurred when a heavy rainstorm hit, causing soil erosion on a hillside that was being prepared for vineyards. He said the hillside had been seeded with a cover crop but that the rains arrived before the seeds germinated. Gallo has made it a policy to irrigate and establish cover crops on sensitive hillsides before the start of seasonal rains in the fall, he said. Jeffrey Holtzman, the deputy district attorney who handles environmental enforcement, said the case against Gallo was referred to his office by the National Marine Fisheries, the state Department of Fish and Game and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. He said although each agency could have taken independent action, they opted for a consolidated enforcement approach. The settlement provides $100,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to restore salmon habitat. The California Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account will receive $30,000, and the National Marine Fisheries, $10,000. The California District Attorneys Association gets $8,000 for training and enforcement support services. The
Sonoma County District Attorney's Office will keep $5,000 for
its costs in pursuing legal action. You
can reach Staff Writer Tim Tesconi at 521-5289 or
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