On Feb. 25, the board of directors of the Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) approved a resolution to allow emergency repairs for a portion of the Russian River-Cotati Aqueduct.
The emergency declaration allows repairs to take place in an expedited fashion. A corroded section of 48-inch pipe will be replaced inside a meter vault near River Road in Forestville. The corrosion was discovered during a recent routine inspection. The pipe is located in an underground vault that is subject to groundwater seepage, which contributed to the corrosion.
The Russian River-Cotati Aqueduct is one of several main pipelines in the Sonoma Water distribution system that provides wholesale water to more than 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties.
It is anticipated that work to repair the pipeline will start in mid-March and will take approximately a week to complete. Sonoma Water is working with its wholesale water customers to maintain adequate water deliveries during construction. Some local jurisdictions also have auxiliary groundwater supplies available if needed to supplement Sonoma Water deliveries during construction.
A private contractor is being hired to do the repair work. The board action allocates up to $750,000 for the repairs, but final costs will not be available until a contract is approved and the repairs are completed.
Sonoma Water is asking all water customers to reduce their indoor and outdoor water usage at this time because of increasing demands due to the dry weather, and the upcoming repairs to the water distribution system.
— Sonoma Water
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