Short term, the news is good – water use is down about 25 percent. “We’re on target for our conservation goals” said Krishna Kumar, general manager of the Valley of the Moon Water District (VOMWD).
Longer term, water planning was muddied by a sudden decision by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) not to acquire more water to meet future needs. The agency had been seeking state permission to increase its annual delivery to its eight clients, including the VOMWD, of 75,000 acre-feet of water to 101,000.
The increase was a key component of the agency’s own projections for 2030, Kumar said. It also figured in the agency’s environmental reports and urban water management plan. Cities were counting on it for their own growth plans.
“Every single document shows that number,” Kumar said. “To say the decision is a surprise is an understatement.”
The SCWA’s unilateral decision to abandon the expanded delivery was made without any input. “There is a lot of frustration among the contractors,” said VOMWD Board Member Mark Bramfitt. “We should not have to beg to be part of a collaborative process.”
Another element in the SCWA decision was to drop any investments in infrastructure related to expanding the water supply – pumps and pipelines, for example. Published estimates ranging from $400 to $500 million “are unsubstantiated,” said Board Member Al Bandur. “It’s a scare tactic.”
One reason for the change in policy, SCWA General Manager Randy Poole said, was successful conservation efforts. Just last month, though, Poole voiced a concern that cities and districts were not doing enough to conserve water.
At the VOMWD’s July meeting, the hot topic was news that the SCWA, claming budgetary concerns, had limited its water supply. Contractors said the move could limit the ability to meet peak demands, reduce reserve storage and, in an extreme heat wave, even endanger public safety.
In response, the eight-client Water Advisory Committee requested increased water flows on peak days and a full explanation of the agency’s budget issues.
The response arrived last week by way of a two-paragraph letter from Poole. Bramfitt offered a translation of the diplomatically worded document. “If we got into a heat wave of five or seven or nine days, will the agency provide the water they are capable of delivering?” he asked. “The letter says, yes we will.”
Kumar said he was satisfied with the letter’s implied promise to keep water storage at acceptable minimums.
