Sonoma Water E-News | November 2019
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Message from General Manager, Grant Davis
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Sonoma County has lived through another disaster, and once again we came together as a community to help one another. I have witnessed so many remarkable efforts and the collective professionalism here at Sonoma Water that kept our water and wastewater systems up and running through the October power shutdowns and the devastating Kincade Fire.
Because of the dedication and commitment of our staff, Sonoma Water was able to provide uninterrupted water service to our customers during the power shutoffs and the fire. Despite losing power at several pumping sites and storage tanks, those sites were operated with auxiliary power during the outages. We had crews working continuously to monitor our backup generators and prepare facilities for the transition back to normal power operations.
Thanks to the diligence and ingenuity of our hard working Sonoma Water operations and maintenance staff, there were no reports of significant problems with water delivery or storage.
During the Kincade Fire, Sonoma Water was forced to evacuate its offices on Aviation and Concourse Boulevards, which necessitated the relocation of our computer servers and SCADA system to our Sonoma Valley wastewater treatment facility. This was a monumental task carried out quickly and efficiently by our IT team. They not only managed to get the systems relocated and running in the midst of the emergency, but as soon as it was possible they moved them back into our offices, got them up and running and even made some improvements along the way. A heartfelt thanks goes out to the IT team for an exceptional effort.
We were also forced to relocate our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to the Rohnert Park City Council Chambers (thank you Rohnert Park!) and work remotely during the Kincade Fire. Again, our EOC team carried on with the dedication and commitment I have come to expect from our Sonoma Water staff.
I have seen how disasters like this bring out the best in people and that is truly what I have witnessed from our Sonoma Water staff and from our community during these events. I am very proud of the efforts of our staff to go above and beyond the call of duty so we could continue to provide essential water and wastewater services to the many communities we serve.
Thank you everyone!
Sincerely
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Grant Davis
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Lake Mendocino benefits from high-tech
weather forecasting system
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Lake Mendocino made it through a typically long, hot summer with an abundance of water and now, thanks to an ongoing experiment with high-tech weather forecasting, the reservoir can retain more water through the winter, benefiting people, fish and farmers along the Russian River.
A dollop of spring rain pumped up the 3-square-mile reservoir near Ukiah, and water managers are now hailing the initial success of an experimental program intended to maximize storage in the second largest source of water for more than 655,000 people in three North Bay counties.
“It looks very promising,” said Jay Jasperse, chief engineer at Sonoma Water, the county agency that delivers Russian River water to 600,000 people in Sonoma and Marin counties. Another 55,000 people and nearly 43,000 acres of cropland from Mendocino County’s Redwood Valley to Healdsburg depend on water drawn from the river’s upper reach.
The new water management program, he said, aims to avoid the “mud puddle syndrome” that occurs when Lake Mendocino falls precipitously low in late summer and early fall.
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International Recognition
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Sonoma Water’s fish viewing gallery and inflatable dam were given international attention this month when ZDF, Germany’s public television network came out to interview Dave Manning, Environmental Resource Manager about our conservation and environmental stewardship efforts.
ZDF is producing a documentary for “Terra X” emphasizing important environmental projects. The camera crew, producer and director toured Sonoma Water's Education Center along the Russian River and fish viewing gallery, showcasing the fish ladder and inflatable dam.
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Rainfall and Water Storage Update
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Current water supply conditions (11/4/19)
Lake Mendocino
Target Storage Curve: 55,350 acre-feet
Current Storage: 68,774 acre-feet (124.25% of Target)
Lake Sonoma
Target Storage Curve: 245,000 acre-feet
Current Storage: 211,710 acre-feet (86.41% of Water Supply Pool)
Current rainfall conditions (10/1/19 – 11/3/19)
Ukiah:
Average (1894-2019 water years): 2.12”
Current Water Year: 0.05” which is 2.36% of average
Santa Rosa:
Average (1950-2018 water years): 1.99"
Current Water Year: 0.02” which is 1.00% of average
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Upcoming Events
Our offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on
November 28 and 29
- November 19, 2019, 8:30 am
- December 10, 2019, 8:30 am
GSA Board Meetings
- November 18, 2019, 4:00 pm Sonoma Valley
- December 12, 2019, 1:00 pm Santa Rosa Plain
- December 19, 201, 4:00 pm Petaluma Valley
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Fact of the Month
Sonoma Water contracts to procure over 99% of its electricity needs through renewable and non fossil fuel based resources, thus achieving a carbon neutral electricity supply to power its system.
Sonoma Water has four solar photovoltaic projects, procures local geothermal energy from Sonoma Clean Power's EverGreen program, and a mix through renewable and carbon free resources from the Power and Water Resources Pooling Authority (PWRPA) and Lake Sonoma Warm Springs Dam hydropower.
Of the total renewable and carbon free sources Sonoma Water utilizes, 20% are from local sources within Sonoma County.
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Employment Opportunities
We invite you to explore the career opportunities available with Sonoma Water.
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Public Comment Opportunities
Please click the button below to see opportunities to provide your input and comments.
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Sonoma Water | 404 Aviation Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | sonomawater.org
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