2006-03-22 Meeting Notes
From CFI
The Russian River Water Public Water Agencies held a meeting on March 22, 2006 in what is now a series of 4th Wednesday meetings, which will start at 1:30 in the large conference room at 890North Bush, Room 24 (room changes possible).
The agenda for the 3/22/06 meeting was:
1) Introductions
2) Need for and potential scope of groundwater investigation in the Ukiah Valley and surrounding region - round table discussion
3) Trout Unlimited Petition - What is it and what does it mean to Mendocino County?
4) North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Plan - Status update
However, after introductions, the meeting started with issue 3 related to the significant series of meeting involving State Water Resources, versions departments, multiple Counties, etc., regarding a process that is underway to address the issues in the Trout Unlimited (TU) claim that agencies are failing to coordinate and enforce water regulations. That issue took most of the available meeting time. The related issues are complex and numerous and we will not try to cover most of them in these notes. (Well, maybe later …) But a few basic observations are that: 1) Everyone seemed to agree with the TU concern that the existing processes are broken and applications of all sorts are subject to years of delay and massive red tape; 2) this effort to set up a few small groups to tackle the issues is problematic and leaves out many shareholders (many of whom did not know this process happening – for example, the initial Steering Committee have no Mendocino representation whatsoever, despite the fact that any outcomes could have broad effects on water regulations in the County; 3) it is a high priority to provide feedback to those involved in this effort that Mendocino needs significantly greater representation in the early stages.
[Sidebar: It seemed that all of the comments offered were thoughtful, well intended and based on a solid knowledge base. However, despite Mr. Sanford's mention that Mendocino was often used as The Example to illustrate how broken the existing government enforcement of codes is in the Trout Unlimited suit, none of the discussion focused on how we might solve ay of the existing problems. Instead, the discussion focused on flaws with the process that is underway and on the need for significantly greater representation of Mendocino's many different voices. Perhaps Mendocino would have a greater voice in the regional effort if it gathered its many voices together to hammer out some proposals and could bring something to the table other than a range of opinions ...]
The group also briefly discussed Roland Sanford’s proposal (posted below) to compile and determine how to effectively use the substantial data that the greater Russian River/Ukiah area and its water districts and departments have at hand. Roland stated that he intended to propose $100,000 in county funding for consultants to perform that task. Representatives of water districts indicated a willingness to pitch in some amount & support for the project as did a representative from the City of Ukiah, which had been contemplating a similar effort and could possibly instead fold their resources into this County effort. Mr. Roland asked for group input as to which specific inputs, outputs and analysis would be of most value to interested parties should the proposed study proceed.
Here is the Draft Proposal:
DRAFT
Concept Plan Groundwater Investigation for the Greater Ukiah Valley
Problem Statement
Previous studies by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in ---- and 1986 have documented the presence of economically significant groundwater resources in the greater Ukiah Valley. In 1986 the USGS estimated that collectively the underlying groundwater aquifers in the greater Ukiah Valley held approximately 90,000 acre-feet of water, and that the underlying aquifers were typically fully recharged at the conclusion of each "wet" and even a so-called "normal" rainfall year. The USGS, in 1986, reported that precipitation was the principal source of recharge, but also noted that there were locations within the study area, particularly within a few hundred yards of the Russian River, where groundwater elevations were consistently correlated - almost on a real-time basis - with the prevailing stream flow rates in the Russian River. These latter observations lead to the conclusion that in some areas of the greater Ukiah Valley the so-called "groundwater" is actually "underflow". More recently, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has asserted that essentially all of the groundwater in the greater Ukiah Valley is underflow and therefore subject to their regulatory jurisdiction.
Although not well documented, it is believed that "groundwater" currently provides a significant portion of the total water consumptively used in the greater Ukiah Valley. Given the apparent abundance of this resource (and for the moment setting aside the SWRCB's assertions that essentially all of the groundwater in the greater Ukiah Valley is underflow), it would appear that a significant portion of any future water demands could be met through the increased use of groundwater. Groundwater, when compared against most potential surface-water supplies, is typically much cheaper and from a regulatory perspective easier and quicker to develop.
The greater Ukiah Valley is experiencing significant urban growth pressures and at the same time, the potential threat of decreased surface water supplies, due to regulatory issues associated with the protection of federally listed endangered fish species in the Eel River and Russian River drainages. The combination of urban growth pressures and a potential "regulatory induced" decrease in existing surface water supplies - which are already considered insufficient to meet existing water demands - has prompted the search for new sources of water. Groundwater is one such potential source of "new" water. Both the County General Plan and the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Ukiah Valley Area Plan recognize the importance of groundwater, and at the same time the paucity of information regarding the sustainability of the groundwater resource in Mendocino County and the greater Ukiah Valley in particular. Simply stated, although frequently identified as a potential source - comparatively little effort has been taken in recent years to improve our knowledge of the groundwater resource. Given the time and expense required to develop new surface water supplies, it would appear, despite the potential regulatory obstacles associated with the SWRCB's underflow assertions, foolish to ignore groundwater vis-à-vis existing and potential future water demands.
Proposal
The most recent assessment of the greater Ukiah Valley's groundwater resources was conducted by the USGS in 1986, as part of a reconnaissance-level investigation of the County's groundwater resources. Since 1986, the population of the greater Ukiah Valley has increased and additional groundwater wells have been constructed, new instances of groundwater contamination have been documented, the SWRCB has asserted that essentially all of the "groundwater" within the greater Ukiah Valley is "underflow", and various site-specific groundwater investigations have been conducted by a variety of public and private entities. Given the importance of groundwater, with regard to the region's economic health, it is proposed that the information presented in the 1986 USGS study be updated to provide a current assessment of the greater Ukiah Valley's groundwater resources. This assessment, like the 1986 USGS investigation, would provide the latest factual information from which informed policy decisions could be based, and would provide a "spring board" for subsequent investigations. Practical applications of the proposed study include source information for environmental impact analyses and water availability assessments pursuant to SB 610 and SB 221.
Like the 1986 USGS investigation, the proposed groundwater study would focus on the characterization of the groundwater resource - occurrence, abundance, quality and movement - but unlike past investigations, would do so with an "eye" toward the differentiation of percolating groundwater from underflow. While it is not anticipated that the proposed study would result in a clear determination of where underflow as opposed to percolating groundwater is located in the greater Ukiah Valley, it is hoped that the proposed study will at least provide sufficient information to identify locations within the greater Ukiah Valley in which economically significant percolating groundwater resources are most likely to be found.
Specific work tasks include the compilation of existing well-log information into one or more GIS database layers, to provide a more complete three-dimensional depiction of the study area's underlying geology; and the compilation of existing groundwater elevation and quality data to assess the spatial and temporal variability of groundwater resources. Information sources include well-log and pump-test data on file with the County and Department of Water Resources, unpublished groundwater elevation monitoring data collected by the Mendocino County Water Agency, unpublished "proof of water" investigations on file with the County, and any publicly available reports and data on file with the Department of Water Resources, State Water Resources Control Board, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, City of Ukiah, and local water purveyors.
Several local water purveyors have expressed interest in the study and a willingness to participate financially. Given the potential value of the information - not just to County but also to local water purveyors - it is recommended that a steering committee composed of the study participants and other interested parties, such as the Mendocino County Farm Bureau, be created to guide the study effort. The proposed study would require the assistance of a groundwater consultant and would cost on the order of $100,000 to complete. Costs could be reduced by using existing County and local water purveyor staff to gather and compile existing information into the County's GIS system, and limiting the consultant's role to data interpretation and report preparation.
Next Steps
Water Agency staff will be requesting funds to complete the proposed groundwater study as a part of the Agency's fiscal year 2006-2007 budget. Prior to submittal of the draft budget in late ____, it will be necessary to identify the study participants, mutually agree on the scope of work, and the extent to which each participant is willing to participate financially.
