To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Parastou Hooshialsadat, (707) 547-1961
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Approval of Sonoma County Water Agency Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution for the Sonoma County Water Agency Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update.
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Executive Summary:
On July 14, 2022, Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) was awarded a $150,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (Plan). The Plan, required to be updated every five years, is part of Sonoma Water’s efforts to prepare for natural and other disasters by identifying vulnerabilities and developing strategies to alleviate their impacts. CalOES and FEMA have reviewed and approved the Plan. The preparation, approval, and adoption of the updated Plan by the Board are required in order to obtain FEMA hazard mitigation funds. Once the Resolution is adopted by the Board, the Plan will continue to guide Sonoma Water’s priorities for mitigating potential threats to infrastructure.
Discussion:
FEMA provides funding mechanisms for projects intended to limit the effects of natural disasters, including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program. Sonoma Water continues to be eligible for these FEMA hazard mitigation grant programs only if the Plan is updated, approved, and adopted every five years.
Since its original adoption in 2008, the Plan has enabled Sonoma Water to obtain more than $16,935,614 to fund numerous hazard mitigation projects, including the replacement of critical aqueduct crossings at fault lines, installation of isolation valves throughout the water transmission system, flood mitigation at key lift stations, seismic hazard mitigation of intertie pipelines at major river crossings, and flood and earthquake mitigation at essential booster stations. More generally, grant funds pay for projects that improve the resiliency of Sonoma Water’s facilities and infrastructure to withstand the effects of natural hazard events.
The focus of the Plan is to update information related to natural hazards, provide a status of mitigation projects underway, include additional hazard mitigation projects, describe the public outreach program, and update hazard maps. In July of 2022, Sonoma Water was awarded a $150,000 FEMA grant through CalOES to update the Plan. This funding allowed Sonoma Water to assess natural hazard-related vulnerabilities for the water transmission system, the sanitation zones, and flood protection infrastructure.
Natural hazards that pose the most significant vulnerabilities to these systems are seismic, flood, fire, drought, and geologic threats, including landslides and corrosive soils. The Plan updates Sonoma Water’s hazard assessments, descriptions, and histories, incorporating significant natural hazard events that have occurred between 2018 and 2023. The vulnerability assessment was influenced by project progress updates, the 2021 Sonoma Water Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP), updated Natural Hazard Reliability Assessment (NHRA) findings, and findings from the Central Sonoma Watershed Planning assessment. Further, updated natural hazard GIS layers were overlaid with maps of Sonoma Water’s service areas and infrastructure and analyzed by Sonoma Water engineers and technical experts. Significant revisions and additions to the Plan include new explanations of climate sensitivities, as well as the effect of climate change on probabilities of wildfire and flooding; discussions of vulnerabilities of community members to earthquake, wildfire, and flooding; and Sonoma Water’s strategic plan goal to expand and improve upon infrastructure hazard mitigation.
Sonoma Water presented at Water Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee meetings and Flood Zone 1A, 2A, and 3A advisory board meetings. The draft Plan was posted on Sonoma Water’s website for the public review comment period. Outreach involved email and social media outreach, newsletters, a public survey of concerns about hazards, and notification of stakeholder agencies. The comment period ran May 15-June 14, 2023. One individual commented; minor revisions to the Plan addressed those comments.
Next Steps: There is no fiscal impact related to adoption of the Plan. If adopted by the Board of Directors, the Plan will enable Sonoma Water to apply for funds from FEMA to limit the adverse effects of natural disasters by designing and implementing projects that mitigate threats to local infrastructure.
County of Sonoma Strategic Plan Alignment
N/A
Sonoma Water Strategic Plan Alignment
This item directly supports Sonoma Water’s Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following goal, strategy, and action item.
Goal: 2. Planning and Infrastructure - Implement comprehensive, integrated, and innovative infrastructure planning to strengthen existing services, minimize life cycle costs, and prepare for the future.
Strategy: 2.1 Conduct planning that integrates and balances operational, maintenance, and infrastructure priorities.
Action Item: 2.1.1 Conduct and update natural hazard vulnerability assessments to reliably meet performance requirements and service goals.
Updating Sonoma Water's Local Hazard Mitigation Plans sets the stage for addressing the threat of natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, and wildfires and enables Sonoma Water to seek funding to improve the resilience of infrastructure systems.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
06/09/2020: Authorized Sonoma County Water Agency’s General Manager to obtain financial assistance, including acceptance of $150,000 grant from FEMA to update Sonoma Water’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, with a 3-year universal resolution.
10/09/2018: Approved resolution to formally adopt the Sonoma Water Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.
12/11/2012: Approved resolution to formally adopt the Sonoma Water Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
No fiscal impact with this item. Should the Plan be adopted by this Board, Sonoma Water will be eligible to apply for funding from FEMA for implementation of mitigation actions identified in the Plan.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Final Draft of the updated Sonoma County Water Agency Local Hazard Mitigation Plan