Sonoma Water to update public on challenges, opportunities facing North Bay water supply

The Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) Board of Directors will meet Monday, Feb. 27, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s aging water, wastewater and flood protection systems in a changing climate.

The Board will receive presentations on key issues impacting Sonoma Water’s drinking water supply and transmission system, regional flood management, initiatives to keep our water clean, and the water agency’s efforts to address the effects of climate change.

Board members and the public will also be briefed on efforts to maintain and modernize systems that are 40 to 70 years old and their ability to withstand earthquakes, more frequent droughts and extreme storms.  Some of the investments could require future increases in the wholesale price of water that Sonoma Water supplies to nine cities and special districts in Sonoma and Marin counties.

“See-sawing weather extremes and the inevitability of a Bay Area earthquake create big challenges for water systems that are more than a half-century old. At Monday’s meeting, the public will learn where the gaps are, what’s been done and what is being done to address problems,” said Sonoma Water Board Chair Chris Coursey.

This informational board meeting is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors chambers, 575 Administration Dr., Room 102A. The meeting will be livestreamed on Zoom and there will be an opportunity for public comment. For details go to https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

Background

Sonoma Water is a wholesale supplier of water to communities in Sonoma and Marin counties that serve more than 600,000 people. Most of Sonoma Water’s drinking water transmission system was constructed between the late 1950s and early 1970s and includes six collector wells near the Russian River and three groundwater wells. The water pumped from these wells is transported through 88 miles of large underground pipes (known as aqueducts) ranging in size from 16 to 54 inches in diameter and in age from 45 to 65 years old.

To provide drinking water to communities every day, including during droughts and emergencies, the transmission system includes 18 storage tanks with capacity to store 129 million gallons of water and booster stations with large pumps that move water over hills and maintain pressure within the pipeline.

Sonoma Water is the local partner with the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service on the Central Sonoma Watershed Project, which was constructed between 1963 and 1967 to reduce urban flooding. This system of four flood-detention reservoirs and 27 bridges and culverts is entering its sixth decade. A study is currently underway to assess current conditions and future vulnerabilities, including the system’s ability to safely handle larger atmospheric rivers.

Sonoma Water maintains more than 75 miles of engineered flood control channels, primarily in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor and Cotati. The goal of the Stream Maintenance Program, which was adopted in 2009, is to reduce urban flood risk while creating shaded channels that support endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead. Since the program began in 2009, Sonoma Water has removed 33,000 cubic yards of sediment through 250 projects, increasing capacity on 32 miles of channels. Crews have planted 10,000 trees to help create shady canopies that cool water and discourage heavy undergrowth.

Sonoma Water operates eight sanitation districts which were transferred to the agency from the County of Sonoma in 1995. In total, these systems which collect and treat wastewater, serve nearly 30,000 residences and businesses throughout the county, from Sea Ranch to Sonoma valley. The systems range in size from the tiny Occidental County Sanitation District, which serves 272 equivalent single-family dwellings (ESDs) to Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, with 17,548 ESDs. The systems were constructed between 40 and 70 years ago and face many challenges that require investments.

In October 2021, the Sonoma Water Board approved its Climate Adaptation Plan, which provides a roadmap to improve the resiliency of its water supply, flood control and sanitation systems in the face of prolonged droughts, higher temperatures, greater risk of fire and floods, and more extreme storms. On Feb. 27, staff will update the Board on progress made in implementing the plan.

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CONTACT 
Ann DuBay
Manager of Community & Government Affairs
(707) 322-8185 (m) 
Ann.DuBay@scwa.ca.gov