Water year resolutions

It used to be that only weather nerds and hydrologists celebrated the new water year that began on October 1, but as we emerge from California’s fourth year of drought, I argue that we’re all weather nerds now – so Happy New Year.
As the year ends, it’s time to take stock of what we’ve accomplished over the last 12 months and to make resolutions for the next 12. As the Fourth District Supervisor for Sonoma County, I also sit on the Sonoma County Water Agency’s Board of Directors. The Water Agency is a wholesale provider of water to nine cities and water districts, including Windsor and Santa Rosa. About 600,000 people in the North Bay drink the naturally filtered water provided by the Water Agency through its Russian River Project.
One of the biggest accomplishments of the water year has been the North Bay’s response to the governor’s call for increased conservation. For several years, the Water Agency has coordinated with its retail partners on conservation messaging through the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership. In response to the drought, the state required the partnership communities to decrease water use by an average of 19 percent over 2013. We far exceeded that number, with average regional savings of 27 percent through August.
The partnership programs include radio, newspapers, social media, movie theater and mall ads; the popular Drought Drive Ups (the one in Windsor attracted about 400 residents); town hall meetings; tabling at events; a Water Wise Garden Tour; Qualified Water-Efficient Landscape training for hundreds of landscapers; a large exhibit at the Sonoma County Fair and a variety of rebate programs.
Another accomplishment: A new private-public partnership that was created after conversations that fellow board members and I had with farmers and the business community. Known as the North Bay Sustainability Coalition, it reached out to businesses and farmers to provide water-saving tips and the coalition provided invaluable experience, staff and materials for Drought Drive-Ups and meetings.
In the past, smaller cities and rural communities had minimal funding to offer water conservation assistance to residents. This changed in 2014, with the creation of the Russian River Drought Relief Program. Full implementation of the program (funded by a state Proposition 84 grant and local revenues) began this past year, and is providing high-efficiency toilets and turf-replacement rebates for residents of Healdsburg and Cloverdale and for well-owners. Go to www.scwa.ca.gov/drought to see if you qualify.
Another initiative that began this past water year is implementation of California’s landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (known as SGMA). My colleagues and I directed county and Water Agency staff to work with the staff of cities and water districts in the Santa Rosa Plain, Sonoma Valley and Petaluma groundwater basins to develop options for creating new groundwater management agencies. Staff worked with a consultant to conduct a stakeholder assessment, and to develop governance alternatives.
While forecasts are encouraging for the new water year, we must continue to work on long-term solutions to water problems.
As a first step, I encourage you to attend the Dec. 9 Groundwater Workshop in Santa Rosa (6 p.m., Finley Community Center) to learn about the new groundwater law and how it might affect you. Details can be found at www.sonomacountygroundwater.org. As a board member, I will continue to focus on ensuring that the groundwater act is implemented fairly, with consideration given to the needs of well owners, farmers and the environment.
I will also continue to work with our state and federal elected officials to fund research to help forecasters better understand the atmospheric river storms that provide about 50 percent of the rain in Sonoma County. Better prediction of these storms could lead to better reservoir operations and help us determine new, small-scale sites to temporarily store and release storm water.
I will continue to support the Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project, working with private landowners to enhance six miles of the creek to support improved conditions for coho and steelhead.
In this new water year, I will be working with my colleagues, other agencies and nonprofit organizations on an initiative that will focus on the Russian River. This beautiful resource is the lifeblood of our community, but many people only glimpse it from their car as they travel on Highway 101. How can we collectively ensure we are doing everything we can to restore the health of the river?
Finally, I pledge to continue conserving water, regardless of how much rain El Niño brings.
James Gore is a Sonoma County Supervisor and a member of the board of the Sonoma County Water Agency