Beautiful Dry Creek Valley was the center of attention in October not only for our region’s grape growers in the midst of harvest, but also for two major Dry Creek habitat enhancement projects that broke ground. Bulldozers and biologists are working together in portions of Dry Creek to enhance rearing habitat for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead.  The cold clear water in Dry Creek is perfect for young coho and steelhead, but the creek doesn’t include enough of the habitat that these fish need to thrive – including logs, rocks, riffles and deep pools. The enhancement projects will create a more favorable nursing habitat for these fish, which are on the brink of extinction in the Russian River watershed. These milestone projects can’t be done without the cooperation of not only our federal, state and local government agency partners, but also the private landowners who own the property where much of the enhancement work will take place. We are thankful to be working with a community that appreciates the importance of keeping our waters, fisheries, farming and the economy healthy for our future generations. I encourage you to read more about these enhancement projects in this issue of ENews or visit our website at www.sonomacountywater.org/drycreek.

Thank you for reading this issue of ENews and please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments by e-mailing our Public Affairs Department at publicaffairs@scwa.ca.gov.

Sincerely,
Grant Davis
General Manager
 

On October 17, the Sonoma County Water Agency met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' San Francisco District Commander Lt. Col. John Baker and key partners to examine the recently completed first stretch of the Dry Creek Enhancement Demonstration Project. The stretch, which spans nearly one mile of Dry Creek near Lambert Bridge, has been supplemented with boulders, redwood trees, root wads and logs strategically engineered to create backwaters, side channels and shady habitat for steelhead trout, Chinook and coho salmon.

This important milestone is the beginning of rehabilitating the populations of endangered salmon and steelhead in the Russian River watershed. The first stretch and the Corps' Reach 15 represent the beginning of the six-mile habitat restoration project that is being made possible by partnerships with the Water Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Services, California Department of Fish and Game, UC Cooperative Extension, private land owners, and many more.

Learn more about Dry Creek and the Russian River Biological Opinion.
 

In October, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District Commander Lt.Col. John Baker and other federal, tribal, state and local officials broke ground on a $1.8 million fish habitat enhancement project. The Corps' habitat enhancement site is part of a six-mile project that will provide refuge and rearing for coho salmon and steelhead in Dry Creek, helping restore these endangered and threatened species in the Russian River watershed. 

Learn more about Dry Creek and the Russian River Biological Opinion.
 

The Sonoma County Efficiency Financing (SCEF) program officially launched in October.  The program will finance energy efficiency and water conservation retrofits for public and non-profit facilities. The program is a scaled-down version of a Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) model which was developed by Dr. John Byrne and his colleagues at the Center for Energy & Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware.

Learn more about this new program.

Groundwater management efforts are moving forward in the Santa Rosa Plain.  In October, the Sonoma County Water Agency's Board of Directors approved preparation of a plan for voluntary management and study of groundwater in the Santa Rosa Plain. 

The Santa Rosa Plain, home to approximately half of the population of Sonoma County, faces growth in population and demand for water. The challenge of increasing demand and other uncertainties necessitates thoughtful management of the important groundwater resources of the Santa Rosa Plain. To address these challenges, the Water Agency has convened a Basin Advisory Panel to develop a plan for managing these groundwater resources through a collaborative process.

Learn more about the groundwater management plan and coordination efforts currently under way.

Below are the current water supply storage capacities for the reservoirs within the Russian River water supply system:
 
Lake Sonoma:  85 percent of water supply capacity
 
Lake Mendocino:  86 percent of water supply capacity
 
Lake Pillsbury (Owned and operated by PG&E):  29 percent
 
View current reservoir levels online.
 
Learn how to save water in your home and outdoors.