
A massive wine production facility in Hopland is being ordered to clean up its act. In recent years, neighbors around Ray’s Station Winery off Highway 175 have complained of rotten smells coming from the factory ranging from rotten eggs to sewage. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has approved several orders over the past month to address the issue, including a Cleanup and Abatement Order and Investigative Order. It requires the facility’s owner, Vintage Wine Estates, to come up with an urgent corrective plan by Friday and provide information to regulators necessary to oversee improvements. Ray’s Station Winery has expanded rapidly over the last 12 years, causing problems with wastewater disposal and risking contamination with groundwater and surface water connected to the Russian River.