RRPOA meets with LAFCO & Sen. McGuire to advocate for a water district

Dear RRPOA members and neighbors,

The efforts to form a water district here in Alexander Valley continue despite our busiest time of year, harvest! We could take two paths to create a district: the local agency formation commission (LAFCO) or special legislation through the state legislature. Neither path looks easy, and more work remains to be done before one or the other is chosen. With help from Supervisor James Gore, the steering committee has met with both local LAFCO officials and Senator Mike McGuire. There have also been meetings and conversations with many local groups to garner support for the district, Sonoma County Farm Bureau, SAVE, Sonoma Water, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, and the Russian Riverkeeper, to name a few. 

The need to form a district and have a say in the water regulation in Alexander Valley is more significant than ever. Since the last RRPOA update, FERC has approved PG&E’s request to reduce flows through the PVP and into Lake Mendocino. It caused the curtailment of many water rights in the valley and the voluntary water sharing agreement that local groups got approved by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). On top of that, in response to a lawsuit filed by the California Coastkeeper, the County BOS has had staff draft a well ordinance that will have detrimental effects on new and replacement well permits across much of the county. 

Although, there has been some good news over the past couple of months. With the rain came a suspension of some water rights curtailments along the Russian River. 

The RRPOA will hold an informational meeting to go over many of the details of the proposed district. We will try to have as many facts as possible regarding the boundaries, purpose, and proposed projects the district hopes to undertake. Details on the time and place will be coming soon.

Sincerely,

Brad Petersen

RRPOA board president