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49-671: Through an act of the State Legislature, the SCWA was created in 1951. However, it was originally known as the "Solano County Flood Control and Water Conservation District" (SCFC&WCD). The full text of the legislation can be found in the California Water Code Appendix Chapter 64, under "Solano County Water Agency". The first major action of the Solano County Flood Control and Water Conservation District

98-630: A maximum treatment capacity of 320 MGD. In 1923, EBMUD was founded due to the rapid population growth and severe drought in the area. The district constructed Pardee Dam (finished in 1929) on the Mokelumne River in the Sierra Nevada , and a large steel pipe Mokelumne Aqueduct to transport the water from Pardee Reservoir across the Central Valley to the San Pablo Reservoir located in

147-546: A proactive stream maintenance program that maintains more than 80 miles of creeks throughout the area. In 1995, legislation made the Water Agency responsible for managing the county sanitation zones and districts, which provide wastewater collection and treatment, and recycled water distribution and disposal services for approximately 22,000 residences and businesses. The zones include Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup, Geyserville, Penngrove, and Sea Ranch. The sanitation districts include

196-408: A total storage capacity of 118,000 acre-feet with a water supply pool of 70,000 acre-feet. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASonoma_Lake_aerial_view.jpg Located about 14 miles northwest of Healdsburg, Warm Springs Dam is a rolled earth embankment dam that forms Lake Sonoma. The Sonoma County Water Agency generates electricity at Warm Springs Dam through a hydroelectric turbine. Located at

245-573: A tunnel constructed through a mountain ridge. Outflow from the powerhouse flows into the East Fork of the Russian River Located on the East Fork of the Russian River, Coyote Dam is a rolled earth embankment dam that forms Lake Mendocino. Lake Mendocino is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that began storing water in 1959. It captures a drainage area of about 105 square miles, and provides

294-553: A water transmission system that provides naturally filtered Russian River water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma County, California and Marin County, California . The Water Agency is a water wholesaler that sells potable water to nine cities and special districts that in turn sell drinking water to their residents. These cities and special districts are: the City of Santa Rosa , Rohnert Park , Cotati , Petaluma , Sonoma ,

343-619: Is a 50% reduction of water in SWP and/or the Solano Project will incur the same actions taken in Stage 1 and also state the willingness to consider allocations of shortages in the SWP supply as specified in the member agency agreements. The SCWA's water management plan for 2022 has yet to be released to the California Department of Water Resources. However, as the state's drought conditions worsen,

392-855: Is a federally mandated 15-year blueprint to help save endangered fish and ensure our water supply. The Water Agency is involved in a number of programs and initiatives to study the groundwater resources of the region through the Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Program, the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Program, the Stormwater/Groundwater Recharge Program, and the Salt and Nutrient Management Plans. The Russian River begins in central Mendocino County, about 15 miles north of Ukiah. It drains 1,485 square miles watershed and it stretches 110 miles long. It reaches

441-473: Is expected to generate an additional 5 percent of revenues, with interest, electric energy sales, reimbursements and other sources making up the remaining 12 percent of revenues. Historically, 90 percent of the water used by EBMUD comes from the 577 square mile protected Mokelumne River watershed. EBMUD has water rights for up to 325 million U.S. gallons per day (MGD) (997 acre-feet) or a total of 364,000 acre-feet per year. In normal years, EBMUD reservoirs in

490-538: Is projected to serve 1.6 million people by 2030. Headquartered in Oakland, EBMUD owns and maintains 2 water storage reservoirs on the Mokelumne River, 5 terminal reservoirs, 91 miles (146 km) of water transmission aqueducts, 4,100 miles (6,600 km) of water mains, 6 water treatment plants (WTPs), 29 miles (47 km) of wastewater interceptor sewer lines and a regional wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) rated at

539-492: Is the "morning glory spillway" - named after its resemblance to the morning glory flower. The USBR owns and operates this spillway where when water rises over 440 feet above sea level, the lake spills over the morning glory, funnels down the cone and exits into Putah Creek - the other side of the Monticello Dam. Lake Berryessa can hold about 521 bullion gallons of water before needing the morning glory to prevent floods. Note

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588-470: Is very costly; number of fires and area burned are extensive, and fish rescue and relocation begins, pine beetle infestation occurs forest mortality is high; wetlands dry up; survival of native plants and animals is low; fewer wildflowers bloom; wildlife death is widespread; and algae blooms appear. The SCWA states that while local water utilities expect them to be able to meet water needs this year, everyone must still do their part to conserve water and stretch

637-712: The Claremont Tunnel , traverses the Hayward Fault, and the maximum credible earthquake along the fault could sever the tunnel, which was originally built in 1929. Some of the major projects included in SIP were the Southern Loop Pipeline, a new 11-mile (18 km) seismically-reinforced alternate route which would allow restoration of water service; and seismic upgrades to the Claremont Tunnel. The expected benefit of SIP

686-706: The Town of Windsor , Valley of the Moon Water District, Marin Municipal Water District , and North Marin Water District. The mission of the Sonoma Water is to, "effectively manage the water resources in our care for the benefit of people and the environment through resource and environmental stewardship, technical innovation, and responsible fiscal management." The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors acts as

735-486: The Travis Air Force Base . Pumping began in 1988 where the maximum pumping capacity was around 175 cubic feet per second (cfs). Since then, the daily pumping rates have ranged between 0 to near pipeline capacity. Peak pumping occurs during the summer where rates are 50-125 cfs and lower pumping occurs during the winter at 0-49 cfs. Today however, pumping tests have shown that the N.B.A. can deliver 142 cfs rather than

784-783: The eastern side of the San Francisco Bay . As of 2018, EBMUD provides drinking water for approximately 1.4 million people in portions of Alameda County and Contra Costa County in California , including the cities of Richmond , El Cerrito , Hercules , San Pablo , Pinole , Lafayette , Moraga , Orinda , Danville , Oakland , Piedmont , Emeryville , Berkeley , Albany , Alameda , San Leandro , neighboring unincorporated regions, and portions of cities such as Hayward and San Ramon . Sewage treatment services are provided for 685,000 people in an 88-square-mile area (as of 2018). EBMUD currently has an average annual growth rate of 0.8% and

833-533: The California Legislature to provide flood protection and water supply services. Providing flood protection is an important role in this community. The Water Agency has partnered with federal agencies to help build and manage a variety of flood protection projects, including Warm Springs Dam, Spring Lake, Coyote Valley Dam, Matanzas Creek Reservoir, Piner Creek Reservoir, Brush Creek Middle Fork Reservoir, and Spring Creek Reservoir. The Water Agency also manages

882-622: The California Statues of 1949, the Agency was originally called the Sonoma County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. It has grown with the region it serves and now has an annual budget of over $ 170 million and employs 197 full-time equivalents . Although its board of directors is identical to the county's Board of Supervisors , the Agency is a separate legal entity with its own funding. Since 1961, its board has had

931-604: The Central Valley Project. In April 2015, EBMUD declared a Stage 4 critical drought and has set a community-wide goal to reduce water use by 20%. To reach this goal, EBMUD has adopted new water rules that affect all customers and must supplement normal water supplies with water from additional sources, like 33,250 acre-feet from the Central Valley Project . EBMUD has enforced strict water restrictions in order to ensure all conservation measures are being taken. By

980-527: The County. The SCWA's Board of Directors is composed of the five members of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, the seven mayors of the cities in Solano County, and a director from each of the three agricultural districts that provide retail agricultural supply. The population of Solano County in 2021 was estimated to be 451,716. SCWA provides these residents and businesses water with the help of

1029-603: The East Bay receive an additional 30,000 acre-feet of local water from runoff annually. In dry years, evaporation and other losses can total more than the local runoff. Runoff from the Mokelumne watershed is not sufficient to meet EBMUD customer needs in times of severe drought. In February 2020, 75 project customers, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District, received permanent federal water contracts for

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1078-906: The Environmental Water Caucus criticized EBMUD for disregarding an opportunity to join the consortium interested considering expanding the Los Vaqueros Reservoir (built and operated by the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD)). EBMUD countered its critics by saying that at the time their officials believed the Los Vaqueros proposal was not sufficiently developed to be a reliable alternative for their future plans. CCWD officials pointed out that their expansion plans were much further developed than any of EBMUD's alternatives. In 2009, environmental activists groups sued to block approval of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for

1127-716: The North Bay Aqueduct, the Solano Project, and Putah Creek. The North Bay Aqueduct , or N.B.A. as part of the SWP has rights to water that originates from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, storing the water in Lake Oroville and is an underground pipeline that runs from Barker Slough in the Delta to Cordelia Forebay in western Fairfield. From there, the water is pumped to Napa County , Vallejo, and Benicia. Additionally, N.B.A. serves

1176-573: The Occidental, Russian River, Sonoma Valley, and South Park County Sanitation Districts The Russian River and its major tributaries is home to three species of fish that are threatened or endangered. These species are the Chinook salmon, the steelhead trout, and the coho salmon. Water Agency staff conducts fisheries research and monitoring activities to support ongoing Agency operations and Endangered Species Act compliance. The Russian River Biological Opinion

1225-524: The Pacific Ocean at the town Jenner, which is located approximately 20 miles west of Santa Rosa. It flows southward until Mirabel Park where the direction changes to westward as it crosses part of the Coast Range. There are five principal tributaries: the East Fork of the Russian River, Big Sulphur Creek, Mark West Creek, Maacama Creek, and Dry Creek. Three major reservoir projects provide water supply for

1274-603: The Pardee Reservoir expansion proposal. Following a two-year trial, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley agreed with the plaintiffs' objections and rejected the EIS in 2011. His ruling stated that EBMUD had not adequately addressed all the potential environmental harms of the project. Specifically, Judge Frawley said the document completely omitted discussing a less destructive alternative - working with CCWD on expanding Los Vaqueros reservoir. Moreover, it neglected to discuss

1323-480: The Russian River watershed: Lake Pillsbury on the Eel River, Lake Mendocino on the East Fork of the Russian River, and Lake Sonoma on Dry Creek. Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma provide water for agriculture, municipal and industrial uses, in addition to maintaining the minimum stream flows required by Agency water rights permits. These minimum stream flows provide recreation and fish passage for salmon and steelhead. Most of

1372-463: The Sonoma Water's Board of Directors. The Water Agency is a separate legal entity created by State law, having specific limited purposes and powers, and separate sources of funding. The Water Agency is thus different from County departments, which are created by the Board of Supervisors for administrative purposes, but are not separate legal entities. Sonoma Water was created as a special district in 1949 by

1421-448: The Water Agency for their commitment to Carbon-Free Water by 2015 and for their use in innovative sustainability practices, programs, technologies and policies. East Bay Municipal Utility District East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) , colloquially referred to as "East Bay Mud", is a public utility district which provides water and sewage treatment services for an area of approximately 331 square miles (860 km ) in

1470-436: The confluence of Warm Springs Creek and Dry Creek, this lake began storing water in 1984 and has a total storage capacity of 381,000 acre-feet with a water supply pool of 212,000 acre-feet. Warm Springs Dam is a multi-purpose reservoir serves as a flood control , water supply and recreational facility. The Water Agency is the local cost-sharing partner for Warm Springs Dam, and determines the amount of water to be released when

1519-461: The difference in the amount of water present in different times of water supply. The first picture to the left was taken in 2017, whereas there is absolutely no activity or even water. As of March 2022, Solano County was in Exceptional Drought. Some effects of an exceptional drought are: fields are left fallow, orchards are removed; vegetable yields are low; honey harvest is small, fire season

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1568-593: The drought was declared officially ended. EBMUD announced mandatory water rationing again in April 2022, following a bleak California snow survey and the driest January to March period on record. As with other public entities, the District has significantly underfunded liabilities for legacy costs. These include $ 535 million for retirement and $ 89 million for retiree health. EBMUD has several sources of revenue for both water and sewage treatment enterprises. These sources include

1617-685: The eastern slope of the Coast Range, south of the Cache Creek drainage and north of the Napa Valley. Additionally, the SCWA provides water the Lower Putah Creek for environmental protection and to meet valid water rights.To better manage the Putah Creek watershed, the creek is divided into the "Upper Drainage" which is the 576 square mile area upstream of Monticello Dam, and the "Lower Drainage" that encompasses

1666-558: The end of 2015, EBMUD was projected to have in storage 320,000 to 330,000 acre-feet of water. On May 10, 2016, EBMUD declared an end to the drought emergency, as their reservoirs had more water than average. The board voted to relax many of the water conservation rules and the 25% surcharge, effective July 1, 2016. It announced that Pardee Reservoir had reached 100 percent of its capacity in January 2017 and had begun releasing excess water into Camanche Reservoir. EBMUD has begun considering

1715-407: The expansion of its own Pardee Reservoir as the main route to secure enough water for its projected 2040 requirements. This proposal would expand Pardee Reservoir by building a new dam on the river. Environmentalists claimed that this action would destroy a beautiful section of the river which is used by the public for fishing, swimming and kayaking. Environmental activists such as the coordinator of

1764-473: The hills of the East Bay region. In subsequent years, EBMUD constructed two additional aqueducts to distribute water to several other East Bay reservoirs. From the various large regional reservoirs, water is transported to treatment plants and delivered to local reservoirs and tanks, thence distributed by gravity to customers. In the 1980s with federal grant funding, EBMUD undertook a major facility expansion to accommodate wet weather waste water overflow (i.e.

1813-547: The lake level is in the water supply pool, and the US Army Corps of Engineers manages flood control releases. Sonoma Water is a water wholesaler that primarily sells potable water to nine municipalities and water districts in two counties: Additionally, there are several smaller water companies and districts in Sonoma County that also receive water from the Agency. These include: Formed on October 1, 1949 by Chapter 994 of

1862-473: The need for Water Management Plans become more and more of a necessity. As of 2022, East Bay Municipal Utilities District , or EBMUD, (another local water utility district) is considering the implementation of mandatory caps on household water usage, where those who exceed that cap must pay a fine. Sonoma Water Sonoma Water , formerly known as the Sonoma County Water Agency , maintains

1911-644: The original 175 cfs flow it was designed and contracted for. The N.B.A. is operated remotely by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) at the Delta Field Division office near Tracy. The Solano Project is part of a federal project with the Bureau of Reclamation . Ideas for the Solano Project were conceived in the 1940s and 1950s to help meet the water demands of agriculture, municipalities and military facilities within Solano County. Originally designed to irrigate approximately 96,000 acres of land, as of 1992,

1960-481: The position of General Manager, and in 1990, additional employees were added. Prior to this, SCWA was run by the County Transportation Department and other County departments that provided staff and administrative services. Today, SCWA vows to protect the rights of existing water sources, actively participates in efforts to secure new sources of water for water supply reliability and future growth in

2009-598: The right to sell bonds without voter approval. Its administrative offices are located at 404 Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa: 38°30′42″N 122°47′1″W  /  38.51167°N 122.78361°W  / 38.51167; -122.78361 . In 2009 the Sonoma County Water Agency was honored with the California Sustainability Alliance's Sustainability Showcase Award. The award commended

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2058-434: The sale of water, hydroelectric power, system capacity charges, sewage treatment charges, connection fees, wet weather facilities charges, interest and property tax increments. In 2007, the water system was anticipated to generate a total of $ 375.5 million in revenue. Water sales account for approximately 76 percent of the revenue, with System Capacity Charges generating an additional 7 percent in revenue. Property Tax Revenue

2107-569: The smaller and less define area between the dam and the Yolo Bypass . Lake Berryessa has what is known as a bell-mouth spillway, or "glory hole". These spillways are manmade features and prevent reservoirs from flooding. The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) defines a spillway as a structure that protects the structural integrity of a dam/reservoir. There are multiple types of spillways such as auxiliary, emergency, service, morning glory, shaft, and fuse plugs. The one present at Lake Berryessa

2156-473: The streamflow in the Russian River during the summer is provided by water imported from the Eel River. Streamflows are augmented by releases from Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma. Scott Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Eel River captures a drainage area of 298 square miles and forms Lake Pillsbury. Lake Pillsbury has a storage capacity of 86,388 acre-feet. Since 1923, the lake stored water for diversion to PG&E's Potter Valley Hydroelectric powerhouse through

2205-667: The total irrigated areas was 71,445 acres. Putah Creek serves as the source for water for the Solano Project and stores water in Lake Berryessa . The main project feature is the Monticello Dam . Other project features include the Putah Diversion Damn, Putah South Canal with a small terminal reservoir, and the necessary wasteways, laterals and drainage works. An integral part of the SCWA is the Putah Creek watershed which lies on

2254-626: The vastly increased system demand in the rainy season). This project took many years of construction for implementation, after the planning and Environmental Impact Statement phases. In 1994, the EBMUD board of directors approved the Seismic Improvement Plan (SIP), a $ 189 million capital project designed to minimize damage and disruption in the event of a potential earthquake along the Hayward Fault . One of EBMUD's main water supply lines,

2303-579: The water supply as the drought might continue throughout 2022. In 2019, the SCWA released a 5-year Water Management Plan in 2017. The update from June 2019 discusses projections and what will occur when the state inevitably experiences water shortages. There is a two-stage trigger for contingency actions. Stage 1 conditions where there is a 25% reduction of water in the SWP and/or the Solano Project will result in securing additional water supplies from outside sources such as drought water banks or joint efforts with other water agencies. Stage 2 conditions where there

2352-486: Was avoiding a potential $ 1.2 billion in lost revenue and damage resulting from a major earthquake. In May 2008, EBMUD announced severe drought and austerity measures for its customers. With the easing of the drought, these measures were rescinded in 2010. EBMUD announced mandatory water rationing again in August 2014. The emergency regulations imposed during this prolonged drought were relaxed effective July 1, 2016, after

2401-856: Was to make a contract with the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) for water supply from the Solano Project. Then, in 1988, the act was amended to change the governing board. A year later, the name of SCFC&WCD was changed to what it is known as today, the Solano County Water Agency. The boundaries of SCWA include the entirety of Solano County , the property of the University of California Davis in Yolo County , as well as 2,800 acres of Reclamation District No. 2068 also in Yolo County. In October 1989, SCWA hired its first employee under

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