Overview of Water Resources (Part 1) Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Overview of Water Resources (Part 1)

Jennifer Burke, Deputy Director – Water & Engineering Resources, City of Santa Rosa Jay Jasperse, Chief Engineer/Director Groundwater Management Sonoma County Water Agency

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency August 10, 2017

Presentation Overview

• Integrated Water Resource Management
• Recycled Water Resources

– Existing uses

• Water Conservation Programs

– Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership – Challenges and potential opportunities

• Russian River Water Resources

– Russian River Water Supply, Diversion & Transmission System – Challenges/initiatives

• Groundwater Resources

– USGS study program – Voluntary groundwater management program (Pre-SGMA)

• Climate Change Impacts & Considerations
• Summary

Groundwater Recycled Water Conservation Surface Water

Integrated Water Resource Management Strategies

Maximize Balance

Water supply in the Santa Rosa plain comes from three primary sources:

• Groundwater (>50%)
• Russian River (~35%)
• Recycled Water (> 10%)

Also robust water conservation programs in urban areas

Santa Rosa Plain Water Supply

Water Wells in the Santa Rosa Plain

32% 50% 18%

Agriculture Rural Domestic Municipal Supply

Santa Rosa Plain Estimated Groundwater Demands by Use Type: Average for 1976-2010 (USGS, 2014)

Recycled Water

• Santa Rosa Regional Water Reuse

System

– Serves cities of Santa Rosa, Cotati, Rohnert Park and Sebastopol, South Park Sanitation District and portions of unincorporated Sonoma County – Reuses 98% of recycled water to irrigate 6,400 acres of farmlands and urban landscaping

• Town of Windsor

– Provides recycled water to irrigate farmlands, urban landscaping

• Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup

– Provides recycled water for irrigation

Windsor Recycled Water

Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant Recycled Water

Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant

Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership

• Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership

– Formed in 2010 – Water Agency and Regional Water Agencies

• Cities of Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa,

Sonoma and Town of Windsor

• North Marin, Marin Municipal, and Valley of the Moon

Water Districts

• Cal-Am Water and Sonoma County Water Agency

– Maximize cost-effective water conservation implementation for the region

Conservation Programs

• Regional Programs

– Clothes Washer Rebate – DIY Toolkits – Green Business – Green Car Wash – Garden Sense

• Partner Programs

– Rebates, Incentives and Educational Programs

Regional Water Conservation

Russian River Water Supplies

• Santa Rosa
• Rohnert Park
• Windsor
• Cotati
• Cal-Am Water Company
• Penngrove Water Company

Santa Rosa Plain Water Suppliers that receive Russian River Supplies:

Russian River Watershed

• Facilities – Wohler/Mirabel
• Lake Sonoma
• Lake Mendocino

Russian River System: Issues & Challenges

• Russian River Biological Opinion
• Potter Valley Project Relicensing
• Aging Infrastructure
• Seismic Hazards

Russian River System: Programs & Initiatives

• Reservoir Management & River Management

– Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations – New Hydrologic Index (proposed)

• Biological Opinion Programs

– Fish Flow EIR (Draft) – Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement – Estuary Management

• Natural Hazard Reliability Program
• Transmission System Condition Assessment Program
• Climate Adaptation Planning

Sonoma County Water Agency Transmission System – Connecting Surface & Groundwater Alexander Valley Study completed 2006 Santa Rosa Plain Study completed

• 2014. Groundwater management

plan since 2014 Sonoma Valley Study completed 2006. Groundwater management plan since 2007 Petaluma Valley Study initiated Sept 2014

Groundwater Plays Important Role in Building Resiliency

Overarching Goal: Proactive Management of Surface Water & Groundwater Resources to Promote Reliability for All Users

Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Study

Part 1 - Completed July 2013

• Hydrology, Hydrogeology and

Groundwater Quality

Part 2 - Completed April 2014

• Fully Coupled Surface Water-

Groundwater Model

• Evaluate Potential Future

Conditions and Alternative Water Management Strategies

Serves as scientific foundation for management planning

USGS Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Study

Imbalance in the amount

• f inflows and outflows to

the basin - could be exacerbated by future climate change Potential for lowering of groundwater levels, reduction of streamflows and affect on ecosystems

Rationale and Process for Groundwater Management Planning in the SRP

Proactively and voluntarily develop non-regulatory Groundwater Management Plan Collaborative Stakeholder-driven Process Key USGS Findings Local Response

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 32 42 52 62 72 82 92 102 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008

Acre-Feet per Year Groundwater Elevation (Feet above mean sea level)

• 10
• 20
• 30
• 40
• 50

Change in Groundwater Level

Southern Santa Rosa Plain Municipal Groundwater Pumping Sonoma County Water Agency Surface Water Deliveries to Southern Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater-Level Elevation in Well

Surface Water & Groundwater are Connected

Southern Santa Rosa Plain

+20 +10

21

Climate Change Impacts

What Are Our Significant Climate Risks?

• Increased Temperature
• Increased water demand - even in wet years
• Higher soil moisture deficit means lower groundwater recharge
• Increased Variability – Extremes Will Be More Extreme
• Even wet climate futures predict periods of extreme drought
• More severe flooding & longer droughts
• Sea-Level Rise
• Flooding & saline water intrusion
• Increased Wildfire Threat
• Water quality & flooding

Investing in Science & Technology

Assess Future Watershed Hydrology

• Downscale climate models to 270 meter grids – watershed scale
• Reservoir storage, Russian River & tributary flows
• Groundwater basins
• USGS collaboration since 2008

NOAA Habitat Blueprint

• NOAA, USGS, Point Blue analysis of sea-level rise & storm surge

NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program

• Climate risk assessment
• Future atmospheric river occurrence & drought readiness

assessment

• Collaboration with Scripps & USGS

Summary

• Santa Rosa Plain groundwater conditions are affected

by other water resources, water use efficiency & climate change

• Regional water supply demands should be met by

maximizing conservation & recycled water use & then balancing surface water & groundwater supplies

• Compliance with SGMA requires integrated water

resource management by coordinating with:

– Water recycling programs – Surface water supplies – Water conservation programs