Politics & Government

Sonoma County Could Get Money for Grass-Removal Rebates

The California Department of Water Resources announced a proposal to distribute state bond money, including $2.9 million to local agencies.

Water agencies in Sonoma County could get nearly $3 million in state bond money, and some of it may be spent trying to encourage residents to conserve water by ripping up their lawns.

The state Department of Water Resources last week announced its recommendation for distributing state bond money to local water programs, and six Sonoma County projects totaling $2.9 million are slated to get funding, a press release states.

The Sonoma County Water Agency would receive $202,000 from state bond funds, and will use the money to offer rebates for to remove grass or install "smart irrigation controllers," according to the press release.

The city of Petaluma and other agencies could receive $825,000 for flood-prevention in Capri Creek, the press release states. And in Sonoma, the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District may receive $1.02 million to extend reclaimed water pipelines.

“The draft funding recommendations for both the Bay Area and North Coast integrated regional water management plans is critical for helping reduce water waste, improve water and habitat quality, and bring funding to disadvantaged communities,” the press release quoted Water Agency Chairman David Rabbitt as saying. “These funding recommendations illustrate how working collaboratively across jurisdictional lines can benefit our water resources, community and economy. The integrated regional water management funding program is essential to ensuring statewide water bond funds get into our local communities throughout the North Coast and Bay Area.”

The full press release follows:

Sonoma County Integrated Water Management Projects Recommended to Receive $2.9 Million in State Bond Funding

(Santa Rosa, CA) The California Department of Water Resources has announced the release of Draft Funding Recommendations for the Proposition 84 (Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006) Round 2 Implementation Grant Program.  Included in these recommendations are six Sonoma County integrated water management projects totaling approximately $2.9 million.  

“The draft funding recommendations for both the Bay Area and North Coast integrated regional water management plans is critical for helping reduce water waste, improve water and habitat quality, and bring funding to disadvantaged communities,” said Water Agency Chairman David Rabbitt. “These funding recommendations illustrate how working collaboratively across jurisdictional lines can benefit our water resources, community and economy.  The integrated regional water management funding program is essential to ensuring statewide water bond funds get into our local communities throughout the North Coast and Bay Area.”

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The following three Sonoma County projects are part of the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, which received a total of $20 million for 19 Bay Area projects.  Learn more about the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan at www.bairwmp.org.  

Sonoma County Water Agency, Water Agency Wholesale Contractors

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$202,000 –Bay Area Water Conservation Program

The Bay Area Water Conservation Program will leverage and expand the implementation of existing water conservation education and consumer incentive programs and build on regional water conservation initiatives.  Specifically, the Water Agency will receive funding to offer residential and commercial customers with rebates to remove turf along with a rebate program to install smart irrigation controllers.  This collaborative effort will also include a series of short educational videos on landscape and irrigation maintenance and repair for home gardeners and commercial customers.

City of Petaluma, Sonoma County Water Agency, Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District

$825,000 Capri Creek Flood Impact Reduction, Water & Habitat Quality, Recreation Project – Phase IV

The City of Petaluma’s multi-benefit flood reduction and habitat enhancement project in the Capri Creek sub-basin of the Petaluma watershed includes four components:

·         1)  Increase hydraulic capacity within channelized creek section between North McDowell Boulevard and Maria Drive.  Using a HEC-RAS analysis and preliminary cross-sections, the City was able to achieve the highest possible reduction of out-of-bank flooding during a 100-year storm event through the creation of a mid-line flood terrace.  

·         2)  Create sediment and debris removal basin, included in the preliminary design just upstream of N. McDowell Boulevard, to facilitate routine maintenance and emergency flood response to debris blockages. 

·         3) Revegetation and Habitat Enhancement is expected to follow grading activities for the flood terrace, including placement of trees and native shrubs along the south bank of the newly recontoured creek section.  This growth will facilitate shading of the low flow and flood terrace and provide habitat for birds and riparian mammals and other species.  Installed plants will be irrigated for three years and monitored for survival. 

·         4) Stewardship through education and outreach into neighboring residential areas, supported by two ‘clean-up’ days per year. 

Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District

$1.02 million – Sonoma Valley Recycled Water Project - Phase 1

The Sonoma Valley Recycled Water Project, a sub-project of North Bay Water Reuse Program, involves extending existing recycled water pipelines from the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District’s Wastewater Treatment Plant to deliver recycled water to increased numbers of users. The Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District proposes to design and install new recycled water pipelines to expand its recycled water service area north and west of its Wastewater Treatment Plant. The purpose of the project is to provide high quality recycled water for agricultural, urban, and environmental uses and to expand the recycled water system throughout the greater North San Pablo Bay Area. The new pipelines will branch off the existing North Bay Water Reuse Program Phase 1 pipeline at two places: 5th Street East and McGill Road. These new recycled water pipelines will provide multiple benefits: 1) offset potable water currently used for landscape irrigation; 2) offset groundwater and surface water diversions used for agricultural purposes; 3) reduce the amount of treated effluent releases to North San Pablo Bay and its tributaries, such as those in the Sonoma Creek watershed.  The North Bay Water Reuse Authority, a group of seven local water agencies, undertook cooperative, regional planning efforts to develop the North Bay Water Reuse Program. The purpose of the North Bay Water Reuse Program is to provide high quality recycled water for agricultural, urban, and environmental uses, and to expand the recycled water system throughout the greater North San Pablo Bay Area.  

The following three Sonoma County projects are part of the North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, which received $5.3 million for 13 North Coast projects.  Learn more about the North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Plan at www.northcoastirwmp.net

Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District

$307,750 - Gold Ridge Coastal Watersheds Enhancement Project

The Gold Ridge Coastal Watersheds Enhancement Project integrates a variety of strategies to restore instream habitat and enhance stream flows for salmonids and other aquatic organisms, while allowing the district’s rural communities to adapt their water management strategies to the uncertainties of a changing climate. The project will expand the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District’s Phase I efforts in the Bodega Bay HU to include Green Valley and Dutch Bill Creek watersheds, priorities of the Russian River Coho Salmon Keystone Initiative. Project strategies combine large-scale water conservation with instream habitat improvements and sediment source management along key salmonid-bearing stream reaches.

Gualala River Watershed Council

$259,000 - Gualala River Sediment Reduction Program

The Gualala River Watershed Council will implement a sediment source reduction project on high and medium priority road networks In the Lower Rockpile basin in the Gualala River Watershed. This project will treat 85 sediment source sites on 12.3 miles of road and will prevent 25,751 cubic yards of sediment from entering the Gualala River watercourses and the Gualala River estuary.  Approximately 1 mile of road will be decommissioned and 11 miles of road will be storm proofed, enhancing salmonid habitat and increasing voluntary TMDL attainment from 16.5% to 17.4% within the Gualala River Watershed.

California Land Stewardship Institute

$190,000 - Fish Friendly Farming & Ranching Environmental Certification in the Russian, Navarro and Gualala River Watersheds

The Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) and Fish Friendly Ranching (FFR) Environmental Certification Programs work to increase the environmental values and functions on agricultural and grazing lands while sustaining economic viability. The FFF/FFR program implements water quality improvements, including comprehensive sediment source control, road and gully repair, water conservation and water use efficiency, enhancement of riparian corridors through removal of invasive species and revegetation, and widening of riparian corridors. This proposal would provide program implementation funds for 20,000 acres of agricultural and grazing lands in the Russian, Gualala and Navarro River watersheds with a focus on lands in disadvantaged communities. 

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