To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma; Sonoma Water Board of Directors
Department or Agency Name(s): Emergency Management; Sonoma Water
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeffrey DuVall / 565-1152; Grant Davis / 547-1911
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Drought Conditions Update and Termination of the Local Emergency Proclamation
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution Terminating the Local Emergency Proclamation Due to Drought Conditions
end
Executive Summary:
On April 27, 2021, the Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local emergency due to drought conditions in the Sonoma County Operational Area. Critically low rainfall from 2020 through 2022 resulted in historically low water storage levels in the region’s two water supply reservoirs and groundwater tables, and storage levels continued to decline through the end 2022.
The adverse environmental, economic, health, welfare, and social impacts of the drought continued to pose an imminent threat of disaster, and threatened to cause widespread potential harm to people, businesses, agriculture, property, communities, the environment, wildlife, and recreation in Sonoma County. Increased precipitation across the region in early 2023 has improved water supplies, but preparing for future severe droughts requires continuing the efforts begun during the emergency proclamation to secure current and future water supplies for the region and to minimize impacts of future droughts. Therefore, this item requests the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution terminating the proclamation of local emergency, but continue regional drought resiliency efforts.
As required by Government Code section 8630, the Board must review the proclamation of local emergency every 60 days and determine if there is a need for continuing the local emergency. Due to the easing of drought impacts owed to increased precipitation across the region, staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors terminate the Proclamation of a Local Emergency Due to Drought Conditions in the Sonoma County Operational Area.
Public messaging and outreach activities will continue to remind the public that the effects of the drought persist for natural landscapes and groundwater supplies and emphasize that the water saving habits learned during the last three years must be normalized, as there is never enough water to waste. Messaging will also continue to provide information about the ongoing statewide drought emergency prohibitions on wasteful practices and prohibition on irrigation of non-functional turf for businesses.
Discussion:
Water Supply Update
As of 3/06/2023:
1. Lake Mendocino
The water supply storage level at Lake Mendocino was 84,679 acre-feet, approximately 118 percent of the available water supply pool for this time of year. At this time last year, the water supply storage level at Lake Mendocino was 59 percent of the available water supply pool.
2. Lake Sonoma
The water supply storage level at Lake Sonoma was 253,881 acre-feet, approximately 104 percent of the available water supply pool. At this time last year, the water supply storage level at Lake Sonoma was approximately 61 percent of the available water supply pool.
The U.S. Drought Monitor provides the location and intensity of drought conditions across the country. Currently, almost the entirety of Sonoma County and the surrounding North Coast Region is classified into the D0 category (Abnormally Dry).
Russian River Watershed Emergency Regulations
On May 31, 2022, the Office of Administrative Law at the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) approved revised emergency regulations for the Russian River Watershed due to severe drought conditions and very low storage at Lake Mendocino. The emergency regulations expire on June 1, 2023. Through the emergency regulations, the State Board has the authority to curtail pre and post-1914 appropriative water right holders and riparian claims based on water availability analyses being prepared by State Board staff. The orders allow recipients to file for an exemption to divert for human health and safety needs. More information on the State Water Board's actions related to the Russian River is available at: <https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/russian_river/>.
Based on water demand and water availability forecasts, the State Board issued orders regarding curtailment status to all right holders in the Russian River watershed on June 14, 2022. It ordered appropriative right holders and those with riparian claims to monitor an online curtailment status list that will be the mechanism for notifying individuals that their right or claim has been curtailed. Based on current conditions and water availability forecasts prepared by State Board staff, all curtailments have been suspended and there are no water right curtailments in place.
Current Water Supply Conditions & Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP)
On October 28, 2022, Sonoma Water filed Temporary Urgency Change Petitions with the State Water Resources Control Board, Division Water (Division) requesting that the water supply condition, which determines the minimum instream flow requirements, be changed from cumulative inflow into Lake Pillsbury (in the Eel River watershed) to storage thresholds at Lake Mendocino starting December 14, 2022. This was in response to the ongoing reduced transfer of Eel River water into the Russian River watershed due to the transformer bank failure at the Potter Valley Project powerhouse. On December 14, 2022, the Division issued an order approving Sonoma Water’s Petitions. The order expires on June 12, 2023. Based on hydrologic conditions in Eel and Russian River watersheds, the water supply condition for the Russian River is anticipated to be classified as Normal for the remainder of the calendar year. Consequently, Sonoma Water will be filing Temporary Urgency Change Petitions with the State Water Board in the late spring requesting to reduce minimum instream flow requirements in the Russian River as required by the 2008 Russian River Biological Opinion.
Ongoing Drought Resiliency Projects
Santa Rosa Plain Wells Drought Resiliency Project
On May 18, 2021, the Board approved a concurrent budget resolution providing $400,000 of County contingency funds for activating one of Sonoma Water’s Santa Rosa Plain wells to assist in addressing drought impacts as part of the Santa Rosa Plain Drought Resiliency Project (Project). In general, the Project consists of two phases:
1. Phase 1 utilizes County contingency funds and completes the necessary engineering, environmental review, and other activities needed to activate one of Sonoma Water’s Santa Rosa Plain wells.
2. Phase 2 involves developing the planning and pre-design activities necessary to seek state drought emergency funding to activate the remaining two Santa Rosa Plain wells, in addition to adding recharge capabilities via groundwater banking.
These collective activities are intended to result in increased drought resiliency by helping drought-impacted communities and assisting in longer-term groundwater management activities under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Sonoma Water activated the Phase 1 well (Todd Road Well) in October 2021, producing up to 1.6 million gallons per day during the summer of 2022 and making available 200,000 to 500,000 gallons a day (approximately) for residents and ranchers who lost domestic water supply and needed water for health and safety in areas experiencing severe water shortages. The Phase 1 well could also produce more than 1 million gallons daily for Sonoma Water’s water contractors to help alleviate drought impacts on their customers.
Phase 2 efforts were initiated in September 2021, and on December 23, 2021, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) awarded Sonoma Water a $6,900,000 grant to implement the Santa Rosa Plain Water Supply Resiliency Project.
Presently, Sonoma Water is continuing efforts to reactivate the remaining two Santa Rosa Plain Wells (Sebastopol Road Well and Occidental Road Well), with design, permitting, CEQA, right-of-way acquisition, and construction being in various stages of completion. The Phase 2 work had been proceeding under emergency contracting authorization to address the immediate health and safety threat of severe drought conditions. However, as of February 7, 2023, the Board found that water supply conditions within Sonoma Water’s service area improved to an extent that no longer sufficiently satisfied Public Contract Code criteria to support the continued performance of emergency construction work without competitive bidding. As such, Sonoma Water is now preparing bid documents to complete the construction and reactivation of the wells, including the aquifer storage and recovery elements, by December 2025, in accordance with DWR grant. .
Environmental Resources Drought Activities
Sonoma Water staff continue to meet biweekly with staff from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (North Coast Regional Board) to discuss Russian River fish distribution and habitat, and water quality conditions.
Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project
On July 12, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (also acting as the Board of Directors of Sonoma Water) approved the Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project (Project) recommended by the Department of Emergency Management and Sonoma Water. The Project is developing planning and response capabilities urgently needed to respond to current catastrophic drought conditions and State drought response requirements, while also planning for future flooding events and developing a more defined flood coordination framework. In support of the Project, the Board approved two limited-term positions, one each in DEM and Sonoma Water, and other associated services, supplies, and operational costs. These positions will play a significant role in developing and implementing the Project
Current Public Outreach for Water Conservation and Drought Resources
The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership’s (Partnership) outreach campaign continues to emphasize the critical importance of saving water. The Partnership campaign being implemented this winter includes social media advertising for upgrading fixtures to high-efficiency models, reducing water use inside the home by only running full loads of laundry and dishes, taking shorter showers, and finding and fixing leaks. Starting February 1 and running through March 31, the Partnership implemented a regional Dye Tab Challenge event to encourage customers to test toilets for leaks, with a chance to win a gift card for submitting their leak test results. This event coincided with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Program’s Fix-a-Leak Week occurring March 20-26, 2023.
The Partnership’s website has updated drought information regarding improved local surface water supplies, emphasizing the Partnership’s thanks to the community for doing their part to save water over the past three years and helping stretch available water supplies until our reservoirs could be replenished. This update includes a reminder that the effects of the drought persist for our natural landscapes and groundwater supplies and provides a reminder that the water saving habits learned during the last three years must be normalized, as there is never enough water to waste. The website also continues to provide information about the ongoing statewide drought emergency prohibitions on wasteful practices and prohibition on irrigation of non-functional turf for businesses. Current drought information, with links to tools, tips, and local programs to help customers save water can be found at www.savingwaterpartnership.org <http://www.savingwaterpartnership.org>.
Interagency Drought Task Force
DEM staff, in collaboration with Sonoma Water staff, are chairing the expanded Sonoma County Operational Area Drought Task Force to provide a forum for multi-agency, multi-discipline information sharing and operational coordination for the duration of the drought. The Task Force meets monthly and has over forty participating agencies representing local, state, regional, and tribal partners. The Task Force has been revised to reflect the updated requirements from SB 552 and expanded to include representation from small community water systems and other stakeholder organizations.
Termination of Local Emergency Proclamation
As required by Government Code section 8630, the Board must review the proclamation of local emergency every 60 days and determine if there is a need for continuing the local emergency. Due to easing of drought impacts owed to increased precipitation across the region, staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors terminate the Proclamation of a Local Emergency Due to Drought Conditions in the Sonoma County Operational Area, but continue regional drought resiliency efforts described above.
Strategic Plan: N/A
Prior Board Actions:
02/07/2023: Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
12/13/2022: Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
11/08/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
09/13/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
07/12/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued. The Board of Directors adopted a concurrent budget resolution providing $1,130,000 of contingency funding from the Water Security Fund to support a Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project.
05/03/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
03/01/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
01/04/2022: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
11/02/2021: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued. Board authorized the Director of the Transportation and Public Works Department to execute the Agreement for Emergency Water Service with California-American Water Company until October 1, 2022.
09/14/2021: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
07/20/2021: Received Drought Conditions Update and Local Emergency Proclamation Declaration Continued.
06/18/2021: Board of Directors approved emergency drought response actions including adopting a resolution making findings of a need to perform emergency work without bidding to protect health, property, and essential public services; and delegating authority to the General Manager of Sonoma Water to take actions necessary pursuant to the restructured agreement for water supply.
06/08/2021: Board received drought conditions update and continued April 27, 2021, local emergency proclamation due to drought conditions.
05/18/2021: Board adopted a concurrent budget resolution providing $400,000 of contingency funding to support the Santa Rosa Plain Drought Resiliency Project.
05/11/2021: Board received an update on the current status of drought conditions and adopted a concurrent resolution urging a 20% voluntary reduction in water use and other specific actions.
04/27/2021: Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution Proclaiming a Local Emergency to Drought Conditions in the Sonoma County Operational Area and Requesting the Governor to Seek a Presidential Declaration.
Fiscal Summary
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FY23-24 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
None.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.