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SONOMA COUNTY WATER COALITION 404A Mendocino Avenue,
Santa Rosa, CA 95404 |
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info@scwatercoalition.org 707-575-5594 |
by Stephen Fuller-Rowell
and Veronica Jacobi,
Sonoma County is in a water crisis. Ground water levels have dropped to alarming depths. There have been reports that some creeks that once flowed year-round are drying up. The Russian River, the main supply
for our cities, already has more water users than it can supply in
a drought year. In addition, water which has been diverted from the
Eel River to the Russian River for Sonoma County is being sucked dry. In the next 20 years, the population
of Sonoma County will grow to more than 600,000 people. There is no
supply to meet such a demand at current per capita use levels. For
50 years water tables in many More than 150 agencies, districts and counties in California have implemented water management plans. Our county and cities have been urged to do just that by the Sonoma County Grand Jury. Yet despite this recommendation, county and municipal leaders have said that a water management plan is unnecessary. The Sonoma County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors should be making the water budget one of their highest priorities. In 2003 the county paid for the Kleinfelder Report, which examined three water-scarce areas: Joy Road, Bennett Valley and Mark West Springs. All three areas show clear indications that ground water levels have been steadily dropping for half a century. The drop in creek water levels is particularly alarming in Green Valley Creek, since it's one of the last functioning coho salmon habitat in the Russian River watershed. Other areas of the county have ground water crises. Rohnert Park's current general plan declares ground water overdraft. Is it any surprise that homeowners near Rohnert Park report dry wells? Moreover, the combined pumping of three county "emergency" wells near Sebastopol is greater than pumping by the entire city of Rohnert Park. Nearby domestic wells are going dry south of Sebastopol. Nobody protects these well owners. No government agency has announced that it is planning for the possible end of the Eel River diversions to the Russian River. The county Planning Commission is now reviewing an update of our general plan that will guide decision-making in Sonoma County for the next 20 years. The new general plan has a water element for the first time, but as drafted, has no provisions for a comprehensive water management plan, meaningful protection of ground water recharge lands, watershed management or an overall water budget. State and federal programs already exist to guide water management planning and fund such initiatives. These programs can help fund startup expenses. A water budget will save us money in the long run. We need immediate protection of ground
water recharge lands throughout the county. If we continue to pave
over these vital areas, flooding will increase and less winter rainfall
will soak into the We need new building codes that require
efficient water-saving practices and increase re-use of treated water.
Los Angeles, San Francisco and many other districts are using less
water now than they An effective general plan that addresses the needs of our county needs broad-based public involvement in the update process. For each critical element of the plan, such as the new water element, we need a public forum to educate the public and allow additional input. These hearings should be held in the evening and be accessible by public transit. Perhaps most importantly, our general
plan should require that most of the water we save remain in our rivers,
creeks, lakes and aquifers. Currently, with no water budget, the water
we save fuels We live here now, and solving the water problem can't wait. Write, e-mail or call the Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and city officials to let them know we need a comprehensive water management plan and a water budget now.
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