Sonoma Water E-News | April 2023 |
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Board Approves Major Infrastructure Investment Project for Maintenance of Aging Water Storage Tanks |
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On Tuesday, April 4, the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) approved a $6 million contract for recoating two major water storage tanks, Cotati Tank No. 1 and Kastania Tank, the largest infrastructure upgrade project to date.
The Cotati Tank No. 1 and Kastania Tank Recoating is part of Sonoma Water’s Tank Maintenance Program, an essential element of Sonoma Water’s Capital Improvement Plan that protects the transmission system’s 18 above-grade welded steel water storage tanks through targeted proactive maintenance actions, structural repairs, and cathodic protection systems. "This project is the largest of its kind and is aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of our water storage and transmission infrastructure. By recoating these tanks, we can ensure their continued functionality and reliability for years to come," said David Rabbitt, Sonoma Water Director.
"On behalf of our customers, North Marin Water District supports Sonoma Water’s efforts and investments to maintain the critical water supply infrastructure, as well as the communication and close coordination with all the water contractors," said Tony Williams, General Manager of North Marin Water District.
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Thank You for Helping Us Get Through the Drought and for Always Being Water Smart!
- Thank you for replacing 1,000,000 square feet of turf with low-water use landscaping.
- Thank you for adding 95,000 gallons of rainwater harvesting capacity.
- Thank you for replacing 1,200 toilets with high-efficiency models.
Let’s keep using water wisely!
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Eco-Friendly Garden Tour May 13
Don’t miss the 13 th annual Eco-Friendly Garden Tour returning to an in-person format on Saturday, May 13th! This self-guided tour, hosted by the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, focuses on low water use, sustainable landscaping at 17 inspirational gardens throughout Sonoma and Marin counties, including the personal gardens of local landscape designers, architects, and garden enthusiasts. If you are interested in landscaping your yard like the pros, or simply looking for fresh ideas for future landscaping projects, the garden tour is the perfect event for you! This year we are lucky to have the tour fall on Mother’s Day weekend, making it a perfect event to attend with your mother.
There are a few bonus events taking place on this year’s tour, including the annual plant sale of the Milo Baker Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. The sale will take place at the Laguna Foundation at 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa. In addition, Zero Waste Sonoma will be providing tour participants with free compost at one of the gardens, so make sure to bring your truck and shovel!
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April is Earthquake Preparedness Month California!
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We know that there are many things to be worried about, but when it comes to earthquakes, it is not a matter of if but when one will occur. Sonoma Water continues to evaluate, design and make seismic upgrades to aqueducts, storage tanks and other potentially vulnerable components of our water system, so that if a major earthquake occurs, our customers will still have a reliable source of clean water. These investments in our infrastructure build safety and resilience for today and years to come.
The California Office of Emergency Services hopes you take steps to prepare for earthquake too, and is encouraging residents to take the time to update their emergency plans and to download the MyShake App. So many things in life may catch us off guard, but now, earthquakes don’t have to!
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Climate Resilience in the North Bay - Teacher Workshop July 17-21, 2023 |
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The Water and Energy Education Program is looking forward to another five-day workshop for up to 25 middle and high school teachers in July. This is the second year we will co-host a workshop with four other local organizations working to create a resilient community in a changing climate.
Each day, facilitators will share techniques for talking to students about the climate crisis in ways that acknowledge difficult emotions that arise like anger, grief, and hopelessness, but also focus on solutions and actionable projects. Mid-week, teachers will visit the Water Education Center followed by a tour of the water distribution system along the Russian River. Sonoma Water educators will be on hand to guide teachers through a lesson on drought and extreme weather events. The workshop ends with teachers sharing their newly created lesson plans for the upcoming school year. The deadline to register is Monday, May 8. .Teachers can register by going to our website: SonomaWater.org/workshops
We hope to create another memorable week for teachers that inspires them to not shy away from teaching about climate change and to partner with local organizations like Sonoma Water that engage with youth to help create a more climate resilient future.
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Earth Day Festival April 22
Sonoma Water is pleased to join with over 50 local organizations for the annual Earth Day Festival will take place Saturday, April 22, from noon-4pm at Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa. This FREE, family-friendly, zero waste festival brings the community together through fun activities, live performing arts, great food, and inspiring exhibits that raise environmental awareness. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate our vibrant city and get involved by learning about solutions to address drought, climate change, and environmental concerns in our community.
- Performing Arts Showcase
- Food & Drink
- Kids’ Activities & Crafts
- Local & Earth-friendly Products
- Workshops
- Hydration Station
- Zero Waste Event
- Giveaways
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Water Supply and Sanitation Public Tours
Sonoma Water is pleased to invite community members to sign up for a free Public Tours.
Do you know where your water comes from? Join us and visit facilities that divert, pump and treat the water delivered by Sonoma Water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. On the Sanitation Tour, explore Sonoma County’s wastewater treatment facilities, including the lab monitoring millions of live protozoa and microorganisms essential for cleaning and recycling wastewater.
Water Supply System Tour (in English)
● Saturday, April 15, 2023 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (English Tour) Register Here
Tour of the Russian River County Sanitation District Wastewater Treatment Plant (in English)
● Saturday, May 6, 2023 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. (English Tour) Register Here
Russian River Exploration and Water Distribution Tour (in Spanish)
● Saturday, May 20, 2023 8:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Spanish Tour) Register Here
Registration is required: To sign up, please visit www.sonomawater.org/tours .The tours have limited capacity and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Sonoma Water’s Partner and Landpaths Program Manager, Omar Gallardo, Receives Bay Nature’s Magazine Prestigious Local Community Hero Award
For the last two years Sonoma Water has worked in partnership with Omar at LandPaths to offer public family tours in Spanish at Sonoma Water’s facilities. Through this partnership, Sonoma Water served a record of 68 Spanish-language tour participants in 2022.
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Sonoma Water on KBBF 89.1 FM Radio April 24
Tune your radio to KBBF 89.1FM for an interview with Sonoma Water’s Cynthia DeLeon, who will discuss Sonoma Water Aging Infrastructure. Program will be broadcast in Spanish on Monday, April 24 9:00-9:30 am. No radio? Listen online: https://kbbf.org/nuestra-tierra/
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Charla Comunitaria Sonoma April 13
Charla Comunitaria Sonoma is a live online event that provides information about Sonoma County health services and emergency preparedness in Spanish. Join online either via Facebook Live or Zoom, or listen on your telephone on Thursday April 13 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. to learn about:
- Covid update; vaccines, testing, and resources provided by the Sonoma County Health Services Department and the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center
- Dr. Jenny Fish will share best practices and recommendations for family health
- Rain, flooding, and what that means for emergency preparedness. Also drought predictions following the storms
To Participate:
ZOOM:
Meeting ID: 993 3380 7169
Passcode: 211864
Telephone:
Dial: 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 993 3380 7169
Passcode: 211864
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5 Things to Do This Earth Day to Save Water
If you want to celebrate the Earth this year, don’t forget to include water. More than 70 percent of the surface of our planet is water, but almost all of that is ocean water so full of salt, so we can’t drink it! Because water is such a precious resource, we all need to do our part to save it. Here are five ways you can start saving water on Earth Day—and every day:
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Stop the flow. Water doesn’t need to be flowing while you are busy brushing your teeth, so why not turn it off and save a couple gallons? Also, be sure that the faucet is turned off tightly when you’re done washing your hands…those drips become wasted gallons.
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Lose the hose, reuse those drops. If you don’t drink all the water in your glass, use it to water houseplants or flowers in the garden. Leftover ice cubes can go right into small plant pots; as they slowly melt, they will give the roots just the water they need.
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Scrap the rinse, scrape instead. If you’re cleaning up after meals, scrape food scraps into the trash before loading the dishwasher. Washing and rinsing dishes in the sink uses a lot more water than the dishwasher, but only run the washer when it’s full.
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Take a shower instead of a soak.
A shower uses less water than filling the bathtub; just don’t stand under the spray for too long! If you shorten your shower by just a minute, it will save two gallons of water. Use less shampoo, so it doesn’t take long to rinse.
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Don’t use the toilet for trash.
Used paper towels and tissues belong in the garbage. Only flush the three Ps—pee, poop, and (toilet) paper. When you use the toilet as a trash can, you waste anywhere from one gallon of water to three gallons or more!
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Rainfall and Water Storage Update
Current water supply conditions as of 4/10/2023:
Lake Mendocino Target Water Supply Curve: 99,616 acre-feet
Current Storage: 99,022 acre-feet (99.4% of Target Water Supply Curve)
Lake Sonoma Target Storage Curve: 264,000 acre-feet
Current Storage: 266.883 acre-feet (101.1% of Water Supply Pool)
Current rainfall conditions (10/1/22 – 4/9/23)
Ukiah:
Average (1894-2022 water years): 33.2"
Current Water Year: 29.99” which is 105.4% of average
Santa Rosa:
Average (1950-2022 water years): 23.69"
Current Water Year: 37.45” which is 112.8% of average
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Upcoming Events
The Board normally holds its regular meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will be facilitated virtually through Zoom and at Board of Supervisors Chambers (BSC) 575 Administration Drive 102A.
•April 17 BSC/Virtual
•April 21 BSC/Virtual Special Closed Session
•April 24 BSC/Virtual Special Meeting
•April 25 BSC/Virtual Budget Workshop
•April 26 BSC/Virtual Budget Workshop
•April 27 BSC/Virtual Budget Workshop
•May 9 BSC/Virtual
•May 16 BSC/Virtual
•May 19 BSC/Virtual Special Closed Session
•May 23 BSC/Virtual
Board Agendas:
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Fact of the Month
The World’s First Water Storage Facility
The 3,000 year old Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, is believed to have the world’s first water storage facility. The Great Bath dates to the 3rd millennium BCE and is believed to have been used for ritual bathing. It was built of fine brickwork and measuring 897 square feet and set 8 feet lower than the surrounding pavement. Mohenjo-daro featured numerous baths—most homes had washrooms—and an extensive sewage system, suggesting that a priority was placed on cleanliness and sanitation.
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Employment Opportunities
Sonoma Water has job openings for people with a variety of skills and experience.
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Now accepting applications for Internship in the following Departments:
- Clerical and Records Management
- Water and Energy Education
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Sonoma Water | 404 Aviation Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | SonomaWater.org |
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