To: Boards of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency and Board of Directors of Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency and Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jake Spaulding / 524-8373
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): First and Second
Title:
Title
Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan 2019
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt Concurrent Resolution determining that adoption of the 2019 Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (2019 Plan) will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment; adopting the 2019 Plan; and authorizing Sonoma Water General Manager to file a Notice of Exemption. (4/5th Vote Required)(First and Second Districts)
end
Executive Summary:
This item requests the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency and the Board of Directors of the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District to adopt the 2019 update to the San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (2019 Plan). The Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan was first completed and adopted by these Boards in 2006. The Plan was updated and again adopted by these Boards in 2013 (2013 Plan). The 2019 Plan updates and expands upon the 2013 Plan, documents progress towards meeting Integrated Regional Water Management Plan objectives, and identifies ongoing regional needs and issues. It also serves as a platform to secure future state and federal funding, and its update and adoption are required by agencies with projects currently funded with Proposition 1 water bond monies.
Since 2007, the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) has received over $24.5 million in Proposition 50, Proposition 84, and Proposition 1E grant awards; and Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District (District) has received more than $1.1 million in Proposition 84 grant awards. If the update to the 2019 Plan is not adopted by its Boards, Sonoma Water and the District would be ineligible to receive grant money linked to Integrated Regional Water Management Plans through water bonds or other sources.
Any specific project proposed that Sonoma Water would apply for requires Board approval through an authorizing resolution.
Discussion:
Background
The State electorate has approved multiple statewide bond measures since 2000, including Propositions 50, 84, 1E, and 1, to fund water and natural resource projects and programs, including Integrated Regional Water Management planning and implementation. The goal of this Integrated Regional Water Management planning and implementation effort is to manage water resources in a collaborative way and to have regions work across jurisdictional, watershed, and political boundaries. Regions are defined by Regional Water Quality Control Board boundaries and involve multiple geo-political boundaries, agencies, stakeholders, individuals, and groups.
State statute and guidelines require that an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan must be updated and adopted by the governing boards of participating agencies before Integrated Regional Water Management grant funds will be provided for water management projects that are part of the Plan.
Integrated Regional Water Management Plan grant monies have assisted Sonoma Water and the District in implementing the ongoing Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Plan, as well as recycled water projects in the Sonoma Valley and along San Pablo Bay (the North Bay Water Reuse Program), water conservation programs, and the Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Investigation (AQPI) project, a $21 million regional grant awarded to and administered by Sonoma Water. Future projects could include recovery planning for listed fisheries that would directly benefit Sonoma Water’s water supply, sanitation, and flood control services; additional water use efficiency programs; and addressing the effects of climate change through research, modeling, and data collection.
The Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program was created in 2002 to foster regional collaboration and implement effective water management solutions. To date, California has 48 IRWM Regions which have been divided into 12 Funding Areas. Under Proposition 1, each Funding Area receives an allocation of grant funding. To be eligible to receive this funding, each Region must meet several eligibility requirements, including drafting and adopting an IRWM Plan that meets state guidelines.
San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
The Bay Area’s Integrated Regional Water Management Plan is a nine-county effort to coordinate and improve the water supply reliability, protect water quality, manage flood protection, maintain public health standards, protect habitat and watershed resources, and enhance the overall health of the San Francisco Bay. Initially prepared in 2006, this 2019 Plan updates the 2013 Plan to conform to Department of Water Resources (DWR) requirements outlined in the 2016 IRWM Plan Guidelines. The 2019 Bay Area IRWM Plan will allow the Bay Area to access Proposition 1 funding from DWR.
Required changes outlined in the 2016 IRWM Guidelines fall into one of three categories:
1. Updated code section: updates the code citation for the requirement (low level of effort)
2. Clarification: provide more detail to an existing guideline, such as which groundwater constituents must be discussed (medium level of effort)
3 New: new requirement not previously in guidelines, including climate change impacts on the Region (higher level of effort)
To address these new and updated requirements, the Bay Area IRWM Region made updates to the Plan, including:
1) Discussing climate change vulnerabilities in the Bay Area;
2) Identifying how management strategies can help address climate change challenges;
3) Outlining specific processes and strategies used to engage and include underrepresented populations, such as Disadvantaged communities and Tribal communities, in regional planning
4) Including additional details on the work performed under the Disadvantaged Communities and Tribal Involvement Program (DACTIP);
5) Adding detail related to regional groundwater contaminants and management plans; and
6) Other minor changes to conform to 2016 IRWM Guidelines.
A draft of the 2019 Plan Update was circulated to the Bay Area IRWM stakeholders in advance of the September 23, 2019 Coordinating Committee meeting. Comments were received from East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Coastal Conservancy, and the City of Hayward. Most comments either added or corrected information related to the commenting agency; all comments were addressed and incorporated into the Plan. The Plan update was finalized and unanimously approved at the October 28, 2019 Coordinating Committee meeting.
The Department of Water Resources reviewed the plan and found it to be consistent with the Program Guidelines on April 14th, 2020. The final approved plan can be found here:
<http://bayareairwmp.org/irwm-plans/>
To be eligible to receive funds under Proposition 1, each Coordinating Committee member agency must adopt the plan. Once all necessary agencies have adopted, the funding allocated for Round 1 of Proposition 1 Implementation funding can be awarded to selected projects. The final recommended project list can be found here:
<https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Work-With-Us/Grants-And-Loans/IRWM-Grants/Files/Prop-1-Implementation/Recommended-Funding-List---SF_ay20.PDF?la=en&hash=F016E9DB15B7895F3FFC77CDE41D69A51DE990B7>
Neither Sonoma Water nor the District submitted projects as a lead agency for Round 1 of the implementation funding. However, Sonoma Water is acting as the administrative lead for an IRWM project submitted on behalf of the North Bay Water Reuse Authority for recycled water projects in the City of Petaluma and American Canyon.
The General Manager has determined that adoption of the 2019 Plan is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15306: Information Collection, because the implementation of the 2019 Plan would not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource and are for information gathering purposes which will help meet the objectives of the 2019 Plan and Section 15262: Feasibility and Planning Studies, because the 2019 Plan provides a framework for the Bay Area to integrate with other regional, state, and federal planning, implementation, and funding efforts. Sonoma Water staff has prepared a Notice of Exemption in accordance with the CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines and the Sonoma Water’s Procedures for the Implementation of CEQA.
Prior Board Actions:
4/22/2014 Concurrent Resolution of the Sonoma County Water Agency and the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District to adopt the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management 2013 Plan.
12/12/2006: Concurrent Resolution of the Sonoma County Water Agency and the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District to adopt the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management 2006 Plan.
Fiscal Summary
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FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Adoption of the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Update does not entail a direct commitment of resources. If authorized by its Boards, Sonoma Water and District will adopt the 2019 Update to the San Francisco Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan and be eligible to receive grant money linked to Integrated Regional Water Management Plans through state water bonds and other sources. This action just gives us the authority to apply for state and federal funding in the future.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Concurrent resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
2019 Plan Update: <http://bayareairwmp.org/irwm-plans/>