Year in Review

Transcription

1 Year in Review

2 welcome Securing our future by investing in our water resources, environment & community Board of Directors: Susan Gorin, James Gore, Shirlee Zane, Lynda Hopkins, David Rabbitt Extreme weather events dominated the Water Agency s year. From drought, to flood, to fire extreme weather has impacted the lives of every Water Agency employee and customer, and our community. Responding to these events requires a steady hand, quick thinking, strategic planning and leadership. The Water Agency has shown our community, time and again, that it can and will respond to emergencies in a timely, effective and responsive manner. We are fortunate to have the professional staff and community support to meet these challenges while continuing to meet our mission which is to provide high quality drinking water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. During the fires of 2017, sanitation systems never stopped collecting and treating wastewater, and our flood protection facilities helped collect the heavy runoff from several atmospheric rivers. This past year has shown that the Water Agency embodies the now popular mantra, #SonomaStrong. We are #WaterAgencyStrong, too, and I am thankful for everyone s tremendous work. Shirlee Zane, Chair, Board of Directors Sonoma County Water Agency 1

3 Shortly after my tenure as Interim General Manager started, so did the Sonoma Complex Fires, which destroyed the homes of 11 Water Agency employees and thousands of residents. I knew that taking on this new role was going to challenge me, but never did I imagine that such a natural disaster would challenge us all. It s not as if the Water Agency is a stranger to challenges; we did after all survive the worst drought in our local history, and experienced the wettest winter on record, leaving lower Russian River communities ravaged by rising waters. Through all these challenges, one thing has been clear the commitment, strength and passion of our employees, elected board members, water contractors and community. It is not surprising to me that during these times of challenge, our employees remained resilient and united. We embraced the changing environment and worked feverishly to ensure our community received the services that protect public and environmental health and safety. I am proud to call my employees friends and stand by their side to keep #SonomaStrong. I look forward to working hard with my Water Agency friends and do our best to serve our community. Michael Thompson, Interim General Manager Sonoma County Water Agency 2 water supply The Russian River watershed received record rainfall during the water year, putting Santa Rosa 4.3 inches above the previous record annual total rainfall recorded in Following several consecutive years of drought, the abundant precipitation fully refilled the Water Agency s reservoirs resulting in above average water supply in Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino. As a result, state mandatory conservation standards were lifted, but the Water Agency continued to ask its contractors and community to use water wisely as there is never enough water to waste. View updated reservoir water supply data online at: Long term average precipitation: inches

4 flood response and preparation Atmospheric Rivers, or ARs, provide about half the yearly rainfall in California in just a few storms, and the frequency and location of these events are the primary drivers of floods and droughts in the state. In water year 2017 we had 10 to 15 ARs, which resulted in record-breaking rainfall for Santa Rosa and flooding of the Russian River on two occurrences in Guerneville. Ultimately these ARs pulled California out of the drought. Forecasts that better predict rainfall ahead of winter and spring (known as sub-seasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts) are critical for supporting the decisions and improving efficiency of water project operations, so we are working with the Western States Water Council and NOAA to improve precipitation forecasting capabilities. The bottom line is this: Better science leads to better data, and better data would greatly benefit reservoir operations and many other Western forecasting needs. groundwater The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires some groundwater basins in California to form public agencies to manage groundwater, develop a groundwater management plan, and meet groundwater sustainability requirements. Three of these basins are in Sonoma County: the Santa Rosa Plain basin, the Sonoma Valley basin, and the Petaluma Valley basin. In 2017, following a series of community meetings and public hearings, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) were formed for each of these basins. Each agency has a board of directors and an advisory committee which all met for the first time in summer and fall of Over the next four years, the GSAs, with support from the Water Agency, will be working to create Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) as directed by SGMA. With support from the Water Agency, the GSAs have applied for funding through Proposition 1 (the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014), which may provide partial funding for GSP development. In addition, the Water Agency Board of Directors approved a groundwater recharge pilot study in Sonoma Valley, which involves injecting excess wintertime water from the Russian River into a Sonoma Valley aquifer. The study explores groundwater banking as a method for improving local water supply resiliency and addressing requirements under the SGMA. 4 5

5 flood protection The Water Agency manages and maintains approximately 100 miles of modified and natural stream channels and 75 miles of engineered flood channels to maintain hydraulic capacity and promote riparian habitat health. This year the Water Agency s Stream Maintenance Program accomplished the following maintenance activities: Removed over 23,900 cubic yards of sediment from streams. That s equivalent to 1,700 full dump trucks. Sediment that accumulates reduces the flood water capacity of streams. Removed over 2,291 cubic yards of vegetation, including downed trees and woody debris, to reduce flooding. Planted 20 native oaks, over 500 riparian trees including native willows, alders, ash, and poplars, more than 1,400 native grasses, sedges and rushes and 550 native herbaceous perennials to improve wildlife habitat. Removed over 38,568 cubic yards of illegal trash, litter and debris from flood control channels and creeks. That s almost 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools of garbage. Learn more at strategic plan In May 2017, the Water Agency kicked off a strategic planning process that encouraged participation from all staff. The strategic priorities identified key initiatives related to water supply, sanitation, flood control, energy, climate change and organizational effectiveness. These priorities were developed with the understanding that they would remain unchanged for a five-year period. However, the actions identified to address these actions will be reviewed and updated annually. The Board attended presentations by staff on each of the respective topics. 6 Stream Maintenance Crew Strategic plan kick-off meeting - April

6 fire recovery In the wake of the disastrous fires that struck Sonoma County in October of 2017, the Water Agency participated in, and continues to participate in, numerous efforts to protect our watersheds and water supply from potential adverse impacts from the wildfires. Water Agency staff are assisting in the regional effort to identify potential risks the fires have posed to our watersheds, to our environment, and to the health of safety of our residents, and are taking actions to mitigate and address those risks. In collaboration with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, United States Geological Survey, and other regional partners, Water Agency staff are monitoring water quality in and around burn areas. Water Agency staff are supporting a regional effort to install wattles, sandbags, and other erosion control techniques to minimize the amount of sediment, debris, and potential pollutants that enter our waterways. Water Agency staff have helped to remove debris and excess vegetation from flood control channels and will continue to monitor these facilities to reduce potential flood impacts. An Early Warning Forecast and Response System will provide localized information to the National Weather Service, enhancing their ability to send out local advisories, alerts, and warnings to areas where fires have increased the risk of flash flooding, debris flows, and landslides. The Water Agency is working to expedite the installation of gages to measure stream flows and precipitation to improve the regional storm monitoring, and is working to install an X-band radar unit to provide enhanced localized weather forecasting. 8 9

7 community social media Water Education Program During the school year, more than 9,728 students received direct instruction through classroom and field visits. Curriculum materials were provided for over 27,000 students in addition to The Kids Scoop News which reached another 14,000 students three times during the year. Two teacher workshops were held, with 58 teachers attending. The Musical Watershed Assembly Program reached 10,682 elementary aged students. In May, the Water Agency conducted two contests in celebration of Water Awareness Month: the Russian River Watershed Association s High School Video Contest, which had 90 participants and a calendar poster contest for third and fourth grade students, with 871 participants. A new education program about renewable energy was created this year, through a collaboration with Sonoma Clean Power. With a focus on climate change, students will learn about the impacts of fossil fuels and what Sonoma County is doing to reduce carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy resources. Tours The Water Agency introduced two new tours in 2017: the Flood Protection Tour and the Russian River Walking Tour. The Flood Protection Tour took participants to a variety of flood protection facilities throughout Sonoma County, learning about the operations and many benefits of facilities like Spring Lake and Matanzas Creek Reservoir. The Russian River Walking Tours provide participants with a chance to hike along the Russian River, learn about the water supply, look for wildlife and visit the newly constructed Russian River Fish Ladder and Viewing Gallery for an underwater view of the Russian Most popular post 14,000 views reached 21,159 Youtube all time views Twitter followers: Instagram most liked 48 likes Website pageviews 337,

8 natural hazard preparation The Water Agency continues to prepare for natural disasters and is currently updating its 2013 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), which is a long-term strategy to increase the reliability of its water delivery system infrastructure during natural disasters and reduce damage to lives, property, and the economy from future disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. The Water Agency must update its LHMP every five years to ensure it remains relevant to current events and system conditions and to meet regulations set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In particular, staff will review the Water Agency s vulnerabilities and risks, as well as the prioritized listing of hazard mitigation projects. FEMA uses LHMPs to issue grant funding for pre-disaster and hazard mitigation projects. The LHMP planning process includes public and stakeholder involvement. The public comment period for the draft Water Agency LHMP is anticipated to begin in early Copies of the draft Water Agency LHMP will be available to view online for the duration of the comment period at: All LHMP drafts for public review, staff reports, public hearing notices, hazard maps, etc., will be posted for public review on this page. In 2017, the Water Agency continued to use an entirely carbon-free supply of electricity for its water supply, sanitation systems and building facilities. Sources of electricity produced and purchased in 2017 include hydropower, geothermal, and solar (see chart below). This diverse, fossil fuel-free power mix plus small, supplemental purchases of clean power met all of the Agency s power needs in The Carbon Free Water Program has brought the added benefit of drastically lowering the power costs of water and wastewater treatment and distribution by approximately 15% below PG&E rates. In 2017, a condition assessment was performed on the Warm Springs Dam Hydropower facility. Based on the results, the hydropower facility is in good working condition, but much of the electrical, instrumentation, and control systems are outdated. An overhaul of those systems will be constructed in late The Water Agency is also exploring the feasibility of floating solar PV, energy storage, load shifting, and other efficiency projects. Learn more at: sonomacountywater.org/ carbon-free-water Warm Springs Dam: 5% Sonoma Clean Power Geothermal: 8% PWRPA Solar PV: 20% energy Water Agency Solar PV: 5% PWRPA Hydro: 61% Water Agency Energy Sources

9 water conservation The Water-Use Efficiency (WUE) Department develops and implements an array of water conservation programs and rebates. It is important to continue the work of water use efficiency to maintain the savings achieved during the last two decades and to make sure the region captures all the benefits of future water savings. Additionally, the WUE team manages a regional partnership, the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, which represents 11 water utilities in Sonoma and Marin counties that have joined together to provide regional solutions for water-use efficiency. 656,976 gallons of water saved through sustained reduction program 1635 Eco Friendly Garden Tour attendees biological opinion achievements Fish Flow Project The heart of the Russian River Biological Opinion is the Fish Flow Habitat and Water Rights Project (Fish Flow). The Fish Flow Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) was released on August 19, The public comment period closed on March 10, Three public hearings were held to obtain public comments on the Draft EIR. A total of 623 comments were submitted, either by letters, written cards submitted at the public hearings, or individual oral testimony at the public hearings. Water Agency staff are currently evaluating and drafting responses to the comments. Staff continues to work on responses to comments, and is also revising the project schedule. 404,201sqft. of turf was removed in high-efficiency clothes washers were rebated 123 Garden Sense consultations 3,925 toilets replaced in homes 14 15

10 Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project The first construction season of the Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project began in 2012 and 2017 marked its fifth year of construction. During Spring 2017, staff evaluated the impact of the winter s large storms and high flows on existing habitat enhancement projects. Overall, the habitat features held up well, although there were a few areas which required significant maintenance to restore function. The greatest impacts were to a side channel where prolonged high flows filled several sections. New construction on Miles 2 and 3 projects began on June 15, 2017 and continued through October, completing these phases of the project. On June 20, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Agency reached a major milestone with the signing of the Dry Creek CAP Project Partner Agreement. The Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) agreement allows for construction of nearly half a mile of habitat improvements at a total federal cost of $3.28 million. Russian River Estuary Management Project In the eighth year of implementing the Lagoon Outlook Management Program, the estuary mouth closed four times during the management period (May 15-October 15). The Water Agency was able to implement a lagoon outlet channel during a closure in late September, which remained in place for five days. On the fifth day, someone dug a hand channel within the outlet channel and the estuary breached the following day. Interim flow changes The Water Agency received a Temporary Urgency Change Order (Order) from the State Water Board on Friday, May 19. The Order allowed the Water Agency to comply with the Biological Opinion temporary minimum instream flow requirements. The order expired on October 15. Fish monitoring A key requirement of the Biological Opinion is annual monitoring of adult and juvenile fish. A total of 1,027 adult Chinook salmon were counted at the Mirabel inflatable dam in and the newly operational video system at the new fish ladder on the west side of the river provided high-quality images of migrating adults. Because of high flows, the Mirabel dam was deflated earlier than usual, which means that the number of adult Chinook counted in is not indicative of the actual population. In Dry Creek, the sonar device or DIDSON (Dual Identification Sonar unit) counted 6,272 adult salmonids. This total includes a mix of Chinook, steelhead and coho. In addition to monitoring returning adult salmon, the Water Agency monitored young fish in the system from spring through the fall

11 grants The Water Agency leverages local funds with state and federal grants to help pay for projects. This year, the Water Agency received over $2.3 million in state and federal grants, helping to keep its cost of service as low as possible. water agency project name grantor grant program FEDERAL GRANTS 2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Russian River Habitat Focus Area: Planning for Habitat and Fisheries Enhancement and Reliability (Year 1 of 3) North Bay Drought Contingency Plan Wohler-Mirabel 2017 Flood Repair Green Valley Creek 2017 Flood Repair Penngrove Lift Station Flood Resiliency Project STATE GRANTS Laguna-Mark West Creek Watershed Master Restoration Planning Project Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership Water-Energy Rebate Program for Restaurants Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Interior/ Bureau of Reclamation Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Emergency Management Agency California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Department of Water Resources, Division of Integrated Regional Water Management 18 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Focus Area - Russian River WaterSMART Drought Response Program DR-4301 Public Assistance Grant Program DR-4308 Public Assistance Grant Program Hazard Mitigation Grant Program grant funds match funds $150,000 $58,842 $159,861 $ 314,196 $200,000 $277,306 $ 395, $200, $ 350,266 $ 116,755 Total Federal $1,455,127 $767, Proposition 1 Watershed Restoration Grant Program 2016 Water-Energy Grant Awards $517,000 $380,000 $370,500 $22,306 Total State $887,500 $402,306 Grand Total $2,342,627 $1,169,405 water transmission budget Representatives of the Water Agency s wholesale water customers, known as the Water Advisory Committee, unanimously recommended approval of the Water Agency s fiscal year water transmission budget and rates. The proposed budget included a wholesale water rate increase of 4.98 percent for Santa Rosa and Petaluma aqueduct customers and 5.58 percent for Sonoma aqueduct customers. The rates will result in a 1 to 2 percent increase for households and businesses, or an average cost to households of 80 cents per day or $.002 per gallon. Part of the wholesale rate increase was due to large non-routine maintenance projects, several seismic hazard mitigation projects, and projects that are required by the Russian River Biological Opinion. The rate increase also includes charges to build up aqueduct capital project reserves as requested by the contractors. 19 The fiscal year water transmission budget and rates allow the Water Agency to meet the operations, maintenance, capital, and regulatory demands of the system while maintaining a prudent reserve and keeping rate increases within the longrange financial plan target.

12 wastewater treatment The Water Agency manages wastewater reclamation systems throughout Sonoma County. The Boards for these systems issued Proposition 218 notices for rate increases fiscal year , which helped pay for ongoing sanitation system upgrades and increased operational costs. Sanitation rate increases can be found online at Safe Medicine Disposal Program The Water Agency in partnership with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services began developing a County-wide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Ordinance. An EPR Ordinance places the responsibility on the producers and manufacturers of pharmaceuticals for coordinating and funding the safe disposal of their products. A draft ordinance will be presented to the Board in Occidental County Sanitation District Trucking Program The Water Agency Board, which operates the Occidental County Sanitation District s (District) Wastewater Treatment Facility, approved transporting wastewater from the District to the Airport- Larkfield-Wikiup Sanitation Zone for treatment, storage and reuse to avoid future discharges into Dutch Bill Creek and potential violations of the District s operating permit. The Project allows the District to comply with conditions set forth by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board which requires the District to cease discharging secondary treated recycled water to Dutch Bill Creek by January 31, Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance Work continued in 2017 on the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District (District) Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance. The ordinance is intended to remedy problems with substandard private sewer laterals that contribute to sanitary sewer overflows and costly fines to the District. In the coming year, the District will begin free inspections of sewer laterals and offer property owners rebates on repairs. Sonoma Valley Recycled Water Projects The District also completed two recycled water projects in 2017: the 5th Street East recycled water pipeline and the pumping and piping upgrade at the wastewater treatment plant on 8th Street East. Together, the two projects will provide highly treated recycled water from the plant to Sonoma Valley High School for use in irrigating playing fields. A number of ruralresidential customers along the pipeline route will put the water to use in irrigating vineyards and other landscaping. A portion of the project was paid for with federal grant funds