During their recent meeting on March 21, 2024, the Redwood Valley County Water District tackled various important issues. They discussed repairing damage from a windstorm, managing water supplies at Lake Mendocino, deciding on water diversion methods, and addressing unsuccessful well drilling attempts. Additionally, they explored consolidation agreements with neighboring districts and discussed annexation possibilities. The meeting also covered updates on groundwater sustainability efforts. These discussions reflect the district’s efforts to address complex challenges and plan for the future.
General Manager Jared Walker reported that during last month’s windstorm, the solar panels and telemetry equipment at the north storage tank on Tomki Road were badly damaged. He is working with vendor Telstar to fix the telemetry. An insurance claim will be filed, as repairs will probably cost $50-$60,000. This equipment may take some time to replace, as shipping for this type of equipment is currently slow. The tank may be operated manually for the time being.
The pump station at Lake Mendocino was run last month after not being used for several months. Walker does not anticipate any water supply problems this year because Lake Mendocino is full, and more rain is predicted. The lake water is currently full of sediment.
Board President Adam Gaska gave an update regarding the Eel-Russian Project Authority’s March 19 meeting. The main item of note is that the ERPA board voted to select one of the two versions of the new diversion design. The two designs being considered were either a pumphouse, to pump water through the diversion tunnel, or a roughened channel that would serve as a fish passage, with a gravity feed through the tunnel. PG&E is planning to remove both Scott and Van Arsdale Dams, and the question was, what should be used as a method to get water through the mile-long tunnel that connects the Eel River to the Russian River. The board decided on the pump station, as pump stations are a known quantity. There are no roughened channels that take up a whole riverbed. The roughened channels in existence are used in smaller stream beds. The pump station will require electricity, rather than the gravity feed used by a roughened channel. One of the arguments against the roughened channel is that this portion of the Eel is fast flowing and there was a chance that sediment would interfere with the roughened channel. At the beginning of the process, the roughened channel looked promising, but after hearing from experts the board realized that the pump station is a safer bet.
Last year’s attempt to drill a municipal well for Redwood Valley on Millview property was not successful. This project is funded by a grant from California’s Small Community Drought Relief Project. LACO Project Manager Jordan Blough recommended two hydrologic consulting firms be contacted for proposals to make another attempt to find a suitable well. Last month the Board heard from the two firms, Balance Hydrologic, and Larry Walker Associates. After reviewing the proposals over the past month, the Board voted to go with Larry Walker Associates. There is some urgency to get this project underway while the grant money is still available. Approximately $200,000 from the grant funding was spent for the previous attempt at drilling a well.
The next item discussed was the Upper Russian River Water Agency consolidation with Ukiah. Millview and Redwood Valley County Water Districts (part of URRWA) have voted to consolidate with the City of Ukiah to form the new Ukiah Valley Water Authority. The legal agreement is not yet signed, pending final review by the lawyers, with some issues to be resolved regarding water distribution. It is expected that the agreement will be signed by April 2, the date of the first board meeting for the new consolidated agency.
The ad hoc committee met to discuss annexation into Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District. It is hoped that Redwood Valley could be annexed into RRFC to secure water from Lake Mendocino. RRFC has rights to 8,000 acre-feet from the lake.
Gaska is on the board of the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, and he provided an update from the March 13 meeting. The subject of how to pay for the GSA’s administrative fees is still being negotiated. The board members are pushing for the staffing agency that will run the GSA, West Yost Associates, to cut its proposed operating budget, as local taxpayers will be funding the operations. Special projects undertaken by the UVBGSA will most likely be funded by grants. The board wants to keep fees as low as possible, and to comply only with the minimum requirements requested by the state, mostly involving monitoring and testing of the groundwater.
I am disappointed that the Redwood Valley County Water District has decided to abandon its support of Potter Valley’s water needs.
The winter pumping from a full Eel River into a full East Fork of the Russian River through Potter Valley and on to Lake Mendocino disregards the need for summer flow that has been the backbone of the Potter Valley Project for 100 years.
That water is the lifeblood of irrigation and water table maintenance and is vital to everyone who lives in Potter Valley.