To: Board of Directors, Sonoma County Water Agency
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Water Agency
Staff Name and Phone Number: Michael Thompson, 521-1863
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Fourth
Title:
Title
Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup Sanitation Zone Agreement Regarding Transfer and Use of Recycled Water with the Town of Windsor
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chair to execute the Recycled Water Transfer and Use Agreement Between the Town of Windsor/Windsor Water District and Sonoma County Water Agency. (Fourth District)
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Executive Summary:
The Town of Windsor/Windsor Water District (Town) recently completed a recycled storage and use study. Based on the results of this study it was determined that a coordinated operation of the Town’s and Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup Sanitation Zone’s (Sanitation Zone) recycled water management systems could improve operating efficiencies and reduce operational costs for both the Town and the Sanitation Zone, increase the beneficial use of recycled water, and decrease the Town’s discharge of recycled water to Mark West Creek. The proposed transfer and use agreement for recycled water would allow the Town to store recycled water in the Sanitation Zone’s reservoirs, and allow the Sanitation Zone to transfer recycled water to the Town’s irrigation system for use by the Town’s recycled water customers.
The transfers to the Town’s irrigation system would allow the Sanitation Zone to significantly reduce or potentially cease costly irrigation of the Sonoma County Airport (Airport). Ceasing irrigation would be beneficial to the Airport’s operations. This agreement also would not preclude the Sanitation Zone from providing recycled water to the City of Santa Rosa (City) to support the City’s agricultural customers.
Discussion:
The Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) owns and operates the Sanitation Zone that provides collection, treatment and reuse of wastewater in its service area. The Sanitation Zone provides service to about 2,800 parcels and annually treats between about 250 to 350 million gallons per year. The Sanitation Zone includes three storage reservoirs with a combined capacity of about 300 million gallons. All recycled water produced by this plant is disposed through irrigation. During dry years, the Sanitation Zone is able to transfer recycled water to the City, which in turn provides this water to their agricultural users. However, in many years the City is unable to accept all of the recycled water that the Sanitation Zone needs to dispose. During such years, Sonoma Water staff operates irrigation fields on the Airport. Such irrigation operations can cost more than $300,000 per year to implement. Additionally, the Airport has requested, but not required, that the Sanitation Zone cease irrigation on Airport grounds. The proposed Agreement would allow the District to avoid airport irrigation.
The Sanitation Zone has had a mutual aid agreement in place with the Town since 1988 which allows for the transfer of wastewater and recycled water between these systems. These parties also had a previous agreement (expired) that allowed the Town to store up to 50 million gallons of recycled water in the Sanitation Zone’s reservoirs.
Under the proposed Agreement, should the volume of recycled water available for use by the Town’s customers exceed the customers’ demand, the Town and Sanitation Zone would proportionally share the cost of irrigating Town-owned irrigation properties.
The proposed Agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15301(b) (Existing Facilities), 15302(c) (Replacement or Reconstruction), and 15304(f) (Minor Alterations to Land).
Prior Board Actions:
05/05/2009: Board approved First Amendment to December 13, 1988 Mutual Aid Agreement between the Airport Larkfield Wikiup Sanitation Zone and the Town of Windsor
12/13/1988: Sonoma County Board Supervisors approved an agreement between the Town of Windsor and County Service Area 31 (Sanitation Zone) permitting the transfers, storage and disposal of treated wastewater on a mutual-aid basis
Fiscal Summary
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FY 20-21 Adopted |
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FY 22-23 Projected |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
With Board approval, the proposed agreement could decrease operational costs for recycled water disposal and allow use of these for regulatory compliance and equipment replacement.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Draft Agreement
Draft Notice of Exemption
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None