On behalf of my colleagues at the Water Agency, we wish you a safe, healthy and restful holiday season with your family and friends.  This is the time of year to reflect on our accomplishments, learn from our challenges and plan for our future.  We are quite proud of all that we have accomplished this past year, but it is our response to the challenges that define us and have made our organization stronger and a more united team of water professionals. I am thankful for the dedication and hard work of my Water Agency colleagues as well as the leadership provided by our Board of Directors.  We welcome our newest Director-elect, Susan Gorin, and look forward to continuing to work with her in this new capacity. With Director-elect Gorin joining our team, we also want to take this time to express our thanks to Director Valerie Brown for her outstanding public service to our community as a Water Agency director and Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District director. 

As you will read in our 2012 Annual Report, available in January, the Water Agency works with our partners in order to secure our future through investments in our water resources, environment and community.  If you would like to receive a copy of the report, please e-mail your contact information to our Public Affairs Department at publicaffairs@scwa.ca.gov. 

Wishing you a Happy Holiday season,
Grant Davis
General Manager
&
Water Agency Employees

On December 4, 2012 the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Water Agency Board of Directors approved several actions to move forward with the development of a Community Choice Aggregation Program (Sonoma Clean Power) in Sonoma County. The Sonoma Clean Power Program would allow one or more cities and/or counties to purchase and provide power generation services to customers within a defined service area.

Board of Supervisors and Water Agency Chair Shirlee Zane said, “The steps taken by our Board will move us forward with developing the final pieces needed to make a determination regarding the Sonoma Clean Power Program. Sonoma Clean Power can provide multiple benefits to our community. These include greenhouse gas reductions resulting from greener, less carbon-intensive energy sources as well as job creation through the implementation of local efficiency and power projects, and local control.”

Joint Powers Authority Created
The Board approved creating a Joint Powers Authority creating the Sonoma Clean Power Authority. The five members of the Board of Supervisors and Water Agency Board of Directors will initially act as the directors of the Authority until additional municipalities decide to participate in the Authority. The Water Agency will continue to provide staffing services during the interim period until the Sonoma Clean Power Program becomes operational and the Authority generates funding.

Ordinance
The Board approved adopting an ordinance authorizing implementation of a Community Choice Aggregation Program. Before a program can be implemented in a particular jurisdiction, California law requires the entity electing to implement the program to do so by adoption of an ordinance.

Marin Energy Authority Funding Agreement
The Board approved a $50,000 funding agreement with the Marin Energy Authority to provide consulting services to the Sonoma Clean Power Authority during the upcoming program process. The Marin Energy Authority is a Community Choice Aggregation Program that has been successfully launched in Marin County. The agreement will allow the Sonoma Clean Power Authority to have the benefit of Marin’s experience and information during the implementation process.

About Sonoma Clean Power
The Sonoma Clean Power Program would allow one or more cities and/or counties to form a service area that provides for the purchase of power generation of customers within that service area. Transmission, distribution, customer service and billing remain the same, delivered through the existing utility (PG&E). Customers within this service area can opt out of participating in the Program and continue to receive their power generation services through the existing utility. Some of the benefits of the Sonoma Clean Power Program include:
• Increased renewable energy use – The Program can choose to develop and deliver increased levels of renewable power.
• Local economic benefits – Stimulate the local economy by emphasizing the purchase of locally generated renewable power. Utility revenues could remain local rather than be sent to a distant utility and shareholders.
• Local control – The governing board of the Program would be comprised of local elected officials.
• Substantial greenhouse gas reduction – By providing increased levels of renewable energy a Program can result in significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the service area.

Learn more about Sonoma Clean Power at www.sonomacountywater.org/cca or contact Program Manager Cordel Stillman at 707-547-1900 or cordel.stillman@scwa.ca.gov.

The recent rain storms, otherwise known as atmospheric rivers, dropped a month’s worth of rain in just four days.   Minor flooding was reported and Water Agency sanitation maintenance employees responded to three wastewater overflows.  The heavy rain quickly filled the water supply pools of both Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma.  Water storage levels in Lake Mendocino entered into the flood protection pool, meaning the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now controls dam releases.  Lake Sonoma is approximately 97 percent of water supply capacity.  There is ample flood protection storage in both reservoirs.  Stay up to date with flood forecasting and emergency information at http://www.scwa.ca.gov/flood-forecast-and-emergency-information/

More than 6,400 Chinook salmon have been counted to date moving up two fish ladders at the Water Agency’s inflatable dam located in the Russian River near Forestville.  The record count surpasses the 6,103 counted in 2003.  Chinook are a threatened species that migrate up the Russian River in the fall to spawn.  Learn more about the Chinook salmon online.

The environmental document for the Mirabel Fish Ladder and Fish Screen Replacement Project will be available for public review December 10, 2012, through January 18, 2013. Click to view the documents online.

Below are the current water supply storage capacities for the reservoirs within the Russian River water supply system:

Lake Sonoma:  96.5 percent of water supply capacity

Lake Mendocino:  101.5 percent of water supply capacity

Lake Pillsbury (Owned and operated by PG&E):  79 percent

View current reservoir levels online.

Learn how to save water in your home and outdoors.