Last night, Dan Kearns, a longtime resident of Taylorsville, told a packed meeting at Quincy Library that he has observed extensive spraying of toxic and carcinogenic herbicides (the browned areas) “directly adjacent” to municipal water wells serving the city of Greenville, CA (the white tank and associated infrastructure at the center of the satellite photo above.) This has also been confirmed by the Plumas Sun in their recent article, “Herbicides Pose Dilemma for Forest Managers.”
Notably, the Plumas Sun failed to mention herbicides at all (or, for that matter, any serious criticism of the project) in their September 2025 story, “Unburned” about the U.S. Forest Service’s so-called “Community Protection Project” — despite the fact that we provided this information to Bay Nature reporter Tanvi Gupta during an interview, as well as in follow up e-mails.
The Golden Springs water source recently tapped by the City of Portola, in addition to the Carman Valley Rd. spring, are both adjacent to areas identified for herbicide application by the Forest Service. USFS maps show extensive, planned spraying directly around the springs, as part of the so-called “Community Protection Project.” The city is now using the water from Golden Springs to irrigate city parkland, and may use it in the future for a drinking water source.
Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen according to the World Health Organization, and Bayer has been forced to pay over $11 billion in settlements to over 170,000 plaintiffs who suffered from non-Hodgkin Lymphoma as a result of exposure to Roundup and other Glyphosate containing products.
Glyphosate has been found in 94% of US streams and rivers tested, according to a USGS study, showing that the herbicide doesn’t stay where it is sprayed, as proponents claim. When you consider this, and the 1- 10 million pounds of herbicides the USFS plans to use in our watershed, this puts nearly all of Plumas County’s public and private water sources at serious risk of contamination.
A lawsuit against the Forest Service (in which Feather River Action! is one of the plaintiffs) is seeking to require the USFS to halt the so-called “Community Protection Project” (CPP) — impacting areas along the Highway 70 and La Porte Rd. corridors — and would require preparation of a more complete environmental study. The lawsuit is pending.
TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT LOCAL WATER SOURCES!
Call the City of Portola and ask that they take immediate and urgent action to prevent contamination of the city’s water supply and oppose USFS herbicide application plans: 530-832-4216 (or admin@cityofportola.com)
Call the following state and federal representatives and demand they take immediate action to stop forest herbicide applications, particularly near water sources:
Congressman Kevin Kiley’s office (916) 724-2575
State Sen. Meghan Dahle’s office: (916) 651-4001
State Assemblymember Heather Hadwick’s office: (916) 319-2001