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Big Jump in Water Rates Likely in Sonoma

/in , /by /Northern California Public Mediaby Marc Albert
With little discussion, and unanimous approval, city council members in Sonoma started a process to significantly raise water rates in the city. The action Wednesday sets in motion ten years of annual rate increases, totaling a cumulative 53.4 percent. The average monthly bill would rise for just shy of $43 a month to more than $104. Teresa Jurotich, a consultant from the firm Raftelis, which performed a study and devised the rate plan, said without the increases, the city’s water fund would dry up.
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Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Ends Drought Emergency

/in , /by /The Press Democrat by Emma Murphy

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has ended the local drought emergency it declared two years ago, but officials are encouraging residents to continue conserving water.

The board’s unanimous vote came Tuesday and accompanied a series of measures to continue the county’s water conservation and drought preparation efforts.

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Sonoma County Tackles the Next Drought With Wastewater Recycling and Rainwater Harvesting Programs

/in , /by /The Sonoma County Gazette by Roger Coryell

As California continues to grapple with recurrent droughts and the impacts of climate change, Sonoma County is implementing innovative water conservation strategies to ensure water security and promote sustainability. By investing in wastewater recycling and rainwater harvesting initiatives, the county aims to build resilience and safeguard water resources for its residents and industries.

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Weather Whiplash Leads to Dramatic Turnaround of Lake Sonoma

/in , /by /CBS Bay Areaby Wilson Walker

If you wanted to measure California’s change of water fortunes, the boat ramp at Lake Sonoma would be one place to do it.

The lake is the scene of an incredible four-month turnaround, for the very water system where the drought officially started.

“As you recall, three years ago, the governor literally was up at Lake Mendocino,” recalled Grant Davis with Sonoma Water. “Declaring the start of the drought basically, basically April 2021.”

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Benefits of Rainstorms in Sonoma County Far Outweighed Damage They Caused

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Austin Murphy

Their timing wasn’t great.

After moving to Sonoma County from Santa Monica in 2020, Kim and David Lockhart purchased River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe in Healdsburg. Heavy rains across the region the year before had caused widespread flooding, especially along the lower Russian River.

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Drought Likely to Persist as Forecasters Expect ‘La Niña’ to Linger Through Most of Winter

/in , /by /Northern California Public Mediaby Marc Albert

Water supplies are dipping and the outlook for the coming rainy season is iffy at best. That’s the main takeaways from Thursday’s online drought town hall held by Sonoma County.

Officials say Lake Sonoma stands at forty-four percent capacity.
Brian Garcia, with the National Weather Service, said precipitation dropped by last month’s early storm has mostly evaporated.
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Sonoma County Bans Drilling of New Water Wells for 6 Months Amid California Drought

/in , , /by /Local News Mattersby Alastair Bland

In a move that activists hope could shift how water regulators statewide manage dwindling groundwater basins, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors this week banned the drilling of all new wells for six months countywide while they draft a set of longer-lasting rules on using groundwater.

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Rohnert Park Company Working On More Efficient and Earth-Friendly Ways to Get the Salt Out of Sea Water

/in , , , /by /The Press Democratby Mary Fricker

As the current drought stretches into its third year, demands to desalinate ocean water rise, especially in such places as Sonoma County and its more than 55 miles of coastline. But putting a desalination plant on the Sonoma County coast seems unlikely, especially after the California Coastal Commission in May rejected construction of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach that had been studied for more than 15 years, said entrepreneur John Webley.

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Sonoma County Backs Well Water Regulations, Favoring New Era of Groundwater Oversight

/in , /by /The Press Democratby Guy Kovner

Hailed as a complex and historic step, Sonoma County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously endorsed plans to guide use and governance of groundwater relied on by rural residents, farmers and cities.

The plans, required by a 2014 state law crafted amid California’s past drought, will eventually include well water use fees in three basins underlying the Santa Rosa Plain and Sonoma and Petaluma valleys.

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Santa Rosa Orders Residents, Businesses to Reduce Water Use By 20%

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Omar Shaikh Rashad

The Santa Rosa City Council approved mandatory water-use restrictions for its residents and businesses starting Thursday, becoming the sixth city in Sonoma County to cut back on water.

The motion to approve the water-shortage contingency plan — which mandates residents and businesses reduce water use by 20% — passed with five ayes from Council Members Eddie Alvarez, John Sawyer, Tom Schwedhelm, Mayor Chris Rogers and Vice Mayor Natalie Rogers. Council Members Victoria Fleming and Jack Tibbetts were absent.

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