Sonoma supes to hold special meeting over potential water rate hikes
SANTA ROSA – Sonoma County will be hosting a special public meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Monday to discuss water infrastructure and climate change challenges as well as possible water rate hikes.
The county says that its water, wastewater and flood protection systems are more than a half-century old and are therefore precarious in the face of a large earthquake, climate change and wear and tear.
Sonoma County Water Agency is the county's wholesale supplier of water to communities in both Sonoma and Marin counties, serving more than 600,000 people, according to the county. Six water collector wells exist near the Russian River and three groundwater wells. Water pumped from these wells goes through 88 miles of aqueducts that are between 45 and 65 years old.
The county's flood protection system consists of reservoirs and 27 bridges and culverts, the county said, and is entering its sixth decade. Engineered flood control channels exist in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor and Cotati. The channels have had to coexist with endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout and must be monitored for sediment and then cleared.
Then there's the county's aging wastewater treatment system, which covers eight sanitation districts that are between 40 and 70 years old.
Monday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors, who also serve as the Board of Directors for the county Water Agency, will update county staff and elected officials on progress made on the 2021 Climate Adaptation Plan and investments needed that "could require future increases in the wholesale price of water that Sonoma Water supplies to nine cities and special districts in Sonoma and Marin counties," the county said.
Drought continues to be an issue in the state despite torrential atmospheric rivers that blanketed the region in December and January. Despite the massive and at times destructive influx of water, the rains didn't do much to replenish groundwater that has been dissipating for the last 10 years.
Sonoma County supervisors last April declared a state of emergency due to ongoing drought conditions, with the first nine months of 2022 being the second-driest in 128 years, the county said.
To participate in Monday's 8:30 a.m. meeting, go to bit.ly/3Y2uMcp.
