Private well owners may benefit from new water-saving program

Sonoma County Water Agency is seeking 25 homeowners, 10 homeowner’s associations or businesses with agricultural irrigation facilities, and 2 agricultural processing facilities who rely on water from private wells to take part in a free water assessment program. Trained Water Agency staff will visit homes and sites to check water usage and educate homeowners, managers, and business owners about water conservation practices. This is the first program in the state that benefits well users.
Local well water, which is also referred to as groundwater, is used to meet half of the water demand every year in Sonoma Valley. Finite local groundwater storage is being depleted by continuing and increasing demand and is at risk of being depleted if appropriate actions are not taken. A group of 20 stakeholders, including representatives from businesses, government, and environmental interests, started meeting in 2006 to do just that.
The new group, the Basin Advisory Panel, quickly developed and recommended the non-regulatory Groundwater Management Plan, which was designed to locally manage, protect and enhance groundwater water resources in the Sonoma Valley in a sustainable, environmentally, economical and equitable manner. The City of Sonoma, Sonoma County Water Agency, Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District, and Valley of the Moon Water District all adopted the plan in 2007.
“The formation of the Basin Advisory Panel is quite historic, because it was the first group to come together to identify the serious concerns surrounding groundwater,” said John Guardino, who is an agricultural scientist with the Southern County Resource Conservation District. “Several government agencies have determined groundwater levels have dropped significantly after three consecutive dry winters.”
Residential site assessments will include the measuring of flow rates from all water fixtures, including showerheads, faucets, and toilets, and checking for leaks. Free low flow hardware, such as faucet aerators and showerheads, will be available to homeowners. Staff will check irrigation systems’ water output and suggest more efficient schedules. Homeowners will receive an information packet, including the collected data and water-saving recommendations.
“It’s a real challenge for homeowners with wells to determine their water usage because they do not have meters like those who rely on water from an agency,” said Water Conservation Specialist Carrie Pollard, who is in charge of signing people up for the program. “This is a great opportunity for well owners to determine how much water they are using on a daily basis, especially where irrigation is concerned where so much water is wasted.”
The assessments of agricultural irrigation at mobile home parks, in residential subdivisions, and at businesses, such as vineyards and nurseries, and agricultural processing plants, such as wineries and dairies, will be performed by Sonoma County Water Agency’s Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, and Agricultural water-use consultants. They will determine areas of water use, analyze current fixtures, recommend improvements, and suggest a plan for implementation of the improvements.
The assessment program is made possible by a $25,000 grant from North Bay Watershed Association. Sonoma County Water Agency and Sonoma Valley Sanitation District, on behalf of Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program Basin Advisory Panel, will use the data collected during the assessments to look for trends in well water usage. The information will also be evaluated and used to determine incentives that will benefit all well users in the area.
County government agencies, businesses, and vineyards that had once enjoyed the delivery of surplus water from the Sonoma County Water Agency have recently become impacted by lower than normal water storage. The agency will put a stop to those deliveries as of June 1. Those who are fortunate enough to have their own wells are looking for ways to conserve the water in their reserves, and this new program would certainly be of great help.
The Basin Advisory Board’s groundwater assessment program is targeting local groundwater use outside of urban areas, which are served by the City of Sonoma and Valley of the Moon Water District and operate their own water assessment programs. Within the valley in the non-urban areas, 81 percent of the local groundwater is for agricultural use and 19 percent is for domestic use.
“The data collected during the assessments will be utilized by North Bay Watershed Association to pursue grant funding for implementation of expanded programs, including rebates, additional assessments, or other assistance to ensure water use efficiency,” said Guardino. “This program can really help both residential and business well owners learn about silent problems that are wasting water at a time when every drop is important to conserve.”
To sign up for the free groundwater assessment program, contact Carrie Pollard at 707.547.1968.