Sonoma Water E-News | May 2020
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Message from General Manager, Grant Davis
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It’s been nearly two months since the County announced the shelter-in-place order and we can all safely say we’ve never lived through anything like this before. Many of us are working from home – balancing the health and well-being of our families and loved ones.
I want to reiterate that the health and safety of our staff is paramount during this emergency. Our communities depend on us to provide essential drinking water and wastewater treatment services, and I am confident that our staff will continue to fulfill that critical mission.
We are still a long way from being out of this pandemic environment. Our county is slowly relaxing some of the restrictions on activities, but caution is advised. Our county’s strict adherence to the shelter-in-place order has prevented an extensive community spread of the coronavirus and we do not want to jeopardize all those efforts by prematurely returning to our normal routines before the pandemic.
Stay safe. Stick together. Be kind.
Grant Davis
General Manager, Sonoma Water
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Two Basin Solution Partnership
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On May 13, Sonoma Water joined four other diverse entities on an ambitious plan to advance restoration of Eel River fisheries while maintaining water security for Russian River basin water users. The Feasibility Study Report (Report) Project Plan was filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the next step in the effort toward securing a new license for the Potter Valley Project, which is currently owned by PG&E.
The Potter Valley Project (PVP) is a hydroelectric facility that, in addition to generating a small amount of electricity, diverts water from the Eel River into the Russian River basin. The PVP’s main facilities include two dams on the Eel River, a diversion tunnel and a hydroelectric plant.
Citing economic concerns, current PVP owner PG&E announced in January 2019 that it would not seek a new license from FERC to continue operating the facilities.
PG&E’s decision to not re-license the PVP left an uncertain future for both Eel and Russian River interests. Instead of leaving it up to the utility and federal regulators to determine the region’s water future, local leaders decided to work together to protect the interests of both river basins.
California Trout, the Round Valley Indian Tribes, the County of Humboldt, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission and Sonoma Water formed the Two-Basin Partnership last fall. The Partnership developed the
Feasibility Study Report
filed with FERC today. The group is also exploring options for developing a governance structure for future ownership and operations of the facilities.
Learn more about the Partnership, the filing and sign up for future email updates at
TwoBasinSolution.org
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Board Approves Budget with Emphasis on Reliable Water Delivery and Infrastructure Improvements
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On Tuesday, April 21, 2020 the Sonoma County Water Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved a $59-million Water Transmission system budget for 2020-21. The budget includes a 5.3-percent rate increase in wholesale water rates for Santa Rosa and Petaluma aqueduct customers and a 5.57-percent increase for Sonoma aqueduct customers, which will result in an estimated 2-percent increase for households and businesses served by Sonoma Water.
For example, a typical Santa Rosa household will pay an additional $0.96 per month as a direct result of the increase in the Water Agency’s wholesale rate increase, or an overall increase of about $11.50 per year. Sonoma Water’s wholesale rates are only a portion of the overall rates set by its retail customers (cities and water districts), and rates for retail customers will vary among those cities and water districts.
The water transmission budget includes costs associated with operating, maintaining and funding nearly 100 miles of water supply pipelines, pumps and storage facilities that provide drinking water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. The budget also includes those costs associated with implementing critical habitat restoration and fishery recovery efforts within the Russian River Watershed as required by the Russian River Biological Opinion. Other budgeted maintenance projects include the recoating of interior and exterior surfaces of water tanks, and replacement of the cathodic protection system to prevent pipeline corrosion. For more information about wholesale water rates, please visit
www.sonomawater.org.
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Beaver Management Activities at East Fork Fry Creek
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Sonoma Water collaborated with Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) and Swift Water Design to assist in maintaining a family of beavers along the East Fork Fryer Creek. Swift Water Designs and OAEC staff are local experts on beaver ecology and conservation. A pond leveler was successfully installed in the beaver dam to assist with managing water levels in the pond and maintain habitat for the beavers. The installation of the pond leveler took place on Monday, April 27, 2020.
Sonoma Water was pleased to support this win-win project striving to balance supporting the beavers while reducing flooding on the trail & maintaining critical access to key floodway & emergency management infrastructure.
East Fork Fryer Creek is an engineered flood control channel owned by Sonoma Water. Sonoma Water has been monitoring the beaver dam on this creek since the spring of 2019 and consulting with California Department of Fish & Wildlife on options to manage beaver while reducing the risk of flooding. Sonoma Water has taken extensive effort to restore the riparian trees along many of its urban channels. The use of Fryer Creek by beavers, who eat willow and cottonwood trees, is an indication of the improved habitat conditions along the creek.
A pond leveler is a proven method to maintain water levels in a beaver pond. It involves placing a flexible pipe through the dam where it discharges downstream. The inlet to the pipe is caged so that the beaver cannot plug it. The pond leveler manages the pond depth and discourages beavers to increase the height of the dam, if they sense that water levels are increasing.
In the long-term, Sonoma Water will be conducting a hydraulic analysis of the flood risks in Fryer Creek posed by beaver dams and will develop, in collaboration with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other wildlife experts, a strategy that will continue to enhance the riparian habitat and its wildlife, while maintaining the flood control purposes of the channel.
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Water is life. It’s also a battle.
So what does the future hold for California?
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Published in CalMatters
Water plays a lead role in the state’s political theater, with Democrats and Republicans polarized, farmers often fighting environmentalists and cities pitted against rural communities. Rivers are over allocated through sloppy water accounting.
Groundwater has dwindled as farmers overdraw aquifers. Many communities lack safe drinking water. Native Americans want almost-extinct salmon runs revived. There is talk, too, of new water projects, including a massive new tunnel costing billions of dollars.
Scientists say climate change will bring more unpredictable weather, warmer winters and less snowpack in the mountains. These challenges and some ideas for remedies are outlined in a new plan, called the California Water Resilience Portfolio, released by Gov. Gavin Newsom in January to a mix of praise and disappointment.
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Rainfall and Water Storage Update
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Current water supply conditions as of May 15, 2020
Lake Mendocino
79.28%
of Target Water Supply Curve
Current Storage:
69,141 acre-feet (79.28% of Target Water Supply Curve)
Lake Sonoma
Target
Storage Curve:
245,000
acre-feet
Current Storage:
213,629 acre-feet (87.2% of Water Supply Pool)
Current rainfall conditions (10/1/19 – 5/14/20)
Ukiah:
Average (1894-2019 water ye
ars):
35.52”
Current Water Year:
13.63” which is 38.37% of average
Santa Rosa:
Average (1950-2018 water years):
29.65"
Current Water Year:
18.54” which is 62.53% of average
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Upcoming Events
Our offices are currently closed to the public due to Covid-19.
The Board normally holds its regular meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Upcoming Board meetings:
- May 19 at 8:30 am
- June 2 at 8:30 am
Board Agendas:
Board meetings currently only available online.
Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board Meetings
June 1, 4:00 pm - Sonoma Valley
June 11, 1:00 pm - Santa Rosa Plain
June 25, 4:00 pm - Petaluma Valley
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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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