At the most recent Redwood Valley County Water District Board Meeting on February 24, 2024, the public efforts are in motion to secure a new municipal well, backed by a $1.7 million grant. Facing drilling challenges, two firms, Balance Hydrologic, and Larry Walker Associates, proposed alternative methods. The Board reviewed these approaches. Discussions on consolidating with Ukiah’s water have led to the formation of the Ukiah Valley Water Authority, while considerations for annexation into the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District are ongoing. The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission continues its push to take over the Potter Valley Diversion amid challenges with PG&E.
The previous attempts to drill a new municipal well to serve Redwood Valley did not go well. Millview County Water District has rights to drill on the former Masonite property, and Millview agreed that Redwood Valley could drill a well there. This effort is funded by California’s Small Community Drought Relief Grant Project, and there is close to $1.7 million available to continue the effort. A drilling company spent weeks on this, but the soil is loose and full of gravel, and the dirt kept collapsing into the hole. It wasn’t possible to dig further with the existing equipment. Project Manager Jordan Blough, of LACO Associates, has contacted two different companies that say they can help drill this well. The two firms think there is water underground, and representatives outlined their approaches for the Board to consider.
Mark Woysher from Balance Hydrologic would use a sonic drill. Sonic works better on loose flowing gravel without collapsing the hole. Sonic drilling has a higher cost but takes far less drilling time, 2 to 3 days versus 2 to 3 weeks with a regular drill, so it is not necessarily more expensive. The next presenter was Andrew Calderwood from Larry Walker Associates. LWA is already working with the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency on another matter, and the company has experience drilling wells up to 2,500 feet (far deeper than the well to be drilled for Redwood Valley). The Board will review these proposals, and discuss them at the next meeting.
Board President Adam Gaska, who serves as agricultural representative on the UVBGSA, reported on the fee study. The budget to run the agency has been whittled down to approximately $700,000 per year, about one-third of the original estimated amount. That amount will allow the UVBGSA to meet the bare minimum it will take to satisfy the state requirements. The rate and fee structure are still under consideration, but it may end up with fees allotted approximately two-thirds to agricultural users, and one-third to domestic water users. UVBGSA will bill water agencies, and those fees will be passed on to their domestic customers. Wells are not currently required to be metered, and the County does not have an inventory of all wells. A water meter costs about $5,000, and performing an inventory of wells in the basin would cost more than taxpayers here can afford. Instead of metering and inventory, the simplest fee plan is to add an amount to property taxes and charge the water districts. A public Fee Study Workshop has been scheduled for March 13 at 293 Seminary Ave., Ukiah, at 6:00 pm.
The District has spent years discussing the possibility of consolidation with Ukiah’s water. General Manager Jared Walker announced that it is finally happening. Millview, Redwood Valley and the City of Ukiah have formed a JPA, Ukiah Valley Water Authority. Adam Gaska and Bree Klotter will represent Redwood Valley on the Executive Committee of the new JPA. The legal team put in a tremendous amount of work to craft an agreement, and three of the five agencies are joining. Calpella and Willow opted not to join, but the legal agreement provides that they are welcome to join in the future. Willow, a district that manages several other districts, has concerns about water rates and assets. Calpella is holding off for now because they have a sewer system, and need to figure out how that would be incorporated into the consolidation. MendoFever.com published the announcement from the City of Ukiah about the consolidation. This will put Redwood Valley on a path to domestic water security, but does nothing for the agricultural customers.
The Board then turned to the possibility of annexation into Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District. Flood Control has 8,000 acre-feet available from water stored in Lake Mendocino. The Board voted to set up an ad hoc committee to review the possible annexation. It will put Redwood Valley on the same footing as Willow and Millview, which have contracts with Flood Control. Currently, Redwood Valley is the first to be cut off during a drought, because it doesn’t have a right to any Flood Control water. Bree Klotter and Ken Todd will be on the ad hoc committee.
The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission announced efforts are continuing to take over the Potter Valley Diversion. Janet Pauli of the MCIWPC is one of the Board Members of the Eel-Russian Project Authority. PG&E announced in February that it would not be incorporating all of the Eel Russian Project Authority’s proposal into the next draft of the license surrender application. This means that the group trying to take over the diversion will need to work with state and federal agencies to get this done. To that end, the MCIWPC provided talking points and a form letter to use for media and political outreach to get the message out. MCIWPC wants its members to sign the letter intended to go to the elected officials at federal state level.
