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Sonoma Water E-News | October 2024

a large green water tank under a blue sky

Kastania Tank Recoat Completed

As part of the larger tank recoat program, managed by Sonoma Water’s construction management team, the Kastania Tank project has been completed and the tank has been brought back online.


Kastania Tank was constructed in 1985 and is located just south of the City of Petaluma. It serves as a reservoir for North Marin and Marin Municipal Water Districts and has a capacity of 12 million gallons. 


Fourteen months after construction began to replace corroded parts, remove the old coating, prime and recoat the tank, our aqueduct crew began the process of refilling the nearly 37 acre-feet of water from the Petaluma Aqueduct. This effort required around-the-clock supervision by a team of mechanics for four days to ensure the efficient and safe filling of the tank.

a construction site repairing a retaining wall with heavy equipment

Emergency Repair of Retaining Wall and Channel Liners in Petaluma’s Washington Creek 

Sonoma Water received emergency authorization from the Board of Directors to perform repairs to a retaining wall and channel liners at Washington Creek, near the intersection of North McDowell Blvd and East Washington Blvd in Petaluma. After last year’s rainy season, conditions in the channel infrastructure had degraded, prompting the need for a geotechnical evaluation. The evaluation highlighted the need for immediate action before the next rainy season to prevent risk to public safety, public services and property. The repairs are now in progress and slated to be completed later this month. 

four men and one woman stand on a stage with awards they received

Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership Receives Multiple National Awards 

four engraved award plaques

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership with two 2024 WaterSense Sustained Excellence awards – one as a Promotional Partner and one for the partnership’s Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program as a Professional Certifying Organization. WaterSense also awarded partnership member Marin Water with their second WaterSense Award for Excellence in Education and Promoting WaterSense labeled products. WaterSense honored its award winners during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.


WaterSense recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership for its water conservation achievements in 2023, including coordinating the partnership’s Dye Tab Challenge contest with the WaterSense Program’s Fix-a-Leak Week and a collaboration with Sonoma Clean Power and Sonoma County Library to make the water- and energy-saving DIY Toolkit available with tools, information, and water- and energy-efficient fixtures, including free WaterSense-labeled showerheads and faucet aerators.


WaterSense also recognized the partnership’s Qualified Water Efficient Landscape Program (QWEL) for its continued excellence in educating landscape professionals in sustainable and water efficient landscape practices. The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership improved accessibility with classes and testing available in both English and Spanish.


In addition, the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership received the Irrigation Association’s Smart Water Application Technologies 2024 Outstanding Industry Partnership Award for the QWEL program. The QWEL program was developed in the Sonoma-Marin area and is now offered in eight Western states and British Columbia, Canada. Since 2007, over 6,000 people have completed the program, with more than 2,500 professionals currently in good standing and over 600 professionals listed for hire.


Learn more about the awards:

Water Sense Awards
Irrigation Association Award

Celebrating Water Professionals Week

Now more than ever, with a hotter and drier climate interspersed with periods of extreme weather, Sonoma Water is proud to share the important role our essential workers play in making sure our communities have safe and reliable water. Water Professionals Appreciation Week (Oct. 5-13) was created in 2017 to highlight the important role of water industry professionals and local public water agencies in ensuring safe and reliable tap water, wastewater and recycled water for California.


From raindrops to reservoirs and to the cities and towns in Sonoma and Marin, each one of our team members plays an essential role in keeping our water systems safe and reliable. 

aerial photo of the russian river near wohler bridge c. 1995

Looking back over 75 years: The 1990s


In 1994, Sonoma Water became responsible for breaching activities at the mouth of the Russian River estuary. This included mechanically breaching the sandbar that forms at the river mouth to minimize flood risk for low-lying properties along the estuary.


By 1995, concerns for the health of the Russian River were mounting and the community demanded a closer look at the effects of all the river’s diverse uses. Sonoma Water began to communicate with regulatory agencies and environmental groups envisioning improved coordination and collaboration and, in turn, improved management of the Russian River watershed.


In 1995, Sonoma Water hired a fisheries biologist and established the Fisheries Enhancement Program as part of its Natural Resources Section.

Also in 1995, Sonoma Water assumed responsibility from the County of Sonoma for the management of eight sanitation districts and zones. These include the Occidental, Russian River, Sonoma Valley and South Park Sanitation districts, and the Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup, Geyserville, Penngrove and Sea Ranch sanitation zones.

aerial photo of a sanitation pond surrounded by a forested area c 1995

In the late 1990s, coho salmon were listed as endangered and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout were listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. 

coho salmon photo
More Sonoma Water History

Free Water Distribution Public Tour Nov. 16

Saturday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

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. In addition, we’ll visit the Fish Viewing Gallery and Fish Ladder for a chance to see migrating salmon.

Reservations Required. Please visit https://www.sonomawater.org/tours.

a tour group stands on a concrete walkway next to a river
Public Tours

Current water supply conditions as of 10/7/2024:  


Lake Mendocino FIRO* Target Water Storage Curve: 102,830 acre-feet

Current Storage: 61,349 acre-feet (59.66% of FIRO Storage Curve)


Lake Sonoma Minor Deviation Curve: 264,000 acre-feet

Current Storage: 229,679 acre-feet (90.25% of Minor Deviation Storage Curve)


*FIRO is the acronym for Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations


Current rainfall conditions (10/1/24 –10/8/2024)  


Ukiah:

Current Water Year: 0” which is 0% of average

Average (1894-2023 water years): 0.14"


Santa Rosa (STS):

Current Water Year: 0” which is 0% of average

Average (1950-2023 water years): 0.14"


Rainfall Data Source: NOAA's California Nevada River Forecast Center

Get water supply updates weekly on our website
blue watery background and words Happy New Water Year 2025

Did you know? 


Did you know that Oct. 1 is the start of the 2025 Water Year? Every year we start tracking rainfall from the beginning of October through the end of September. Last year’s rainy winter gave us slightly above average total rainfall for the year. It remains to be seen what the coming year will bring us in precipitation, but we will be using the latest high tech weather monitoring systems to manage water storage in our reservoirs using Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO)

Upcoming Meetings


Eel-Russian Project Authority Board of Directors


No meetings scheduled at this time


Sonoma Water Board of Directors Meetings


The Sonoma Water 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.


•Oct 15 BSC/Virtual

•Oct 18 BSC/Virtual Special Closed Session

•Oct 22 BSC/Virtual

•Nov 4 BSC/Virtual Special Closed Session

•Nov 5 BSC/Virtual

•Nov 12 BSC/Virtual


Board Agendas: 

View upcoming Agenda items

Employment Opportunities


No postings at this time


View our Careers Webpage
Sonoma Water | 404 Aviation Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | SonomaWater.org
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