The biggest news from the April meeting of the Redwood Valley County Water District was the move toward annexation with Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District. The Board discussed and voted to approve the proposed Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District Resolution #24-01, which would “develop an annexation application to Mendocino County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) that would extend the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District (RRFC) boundary to incorporate the service area of the RVCWD. . . .” RRFC has rights to 8,000 acre-feet from Lake Mendocino. In prior drought years, Redwood Valley has purchased surplus water from RRFC, but that surplus water is not guaranteed. If annexed, Redwood Valley would be able to contract to purchase water from RRFC. Annexation with RRFC is anticipated to take years, going through LAFCO.
The Board discussed whether the new JPA Ukiah Valley Water Authority will be affected by Redwood Valley’s possible annexation into RRFC. General Manager Jared Walker asked that the Directors include him in conversations with Ukiah Water, as he needs to stay in the loop.
Last month Walker reported that during a February 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 equipment that allows remote operation by the District office. Repairs are estimated to cost $92,000. The District is tied to Telstar because it would be difficult to work with another vendor to get this done before fire season. The tank may be operated manually for the time being. The Board discussed whether to submit this claim to the insurance company. A prior claim for damage to the pumping station at Lake Mendocino is in the process of being paid out and the District is waiting for an additional $125,000 from the insurance company. The District is in no position to pay $92,000 for these repairs. The Board authorized Walker to discuss this possible claim with the insurance company. This tank will be used during the hot summer months of fire season, when it would be inefficient to operate it manually, so repairs are needed.
Water is still flowing into Lake Mendocino. Walker anticipates that Redwood Valley will have access to RRFC water this year. Lake Mendocino has about 100,000 acre-feet of water, more than the high point last year. About 125-130 cfs is being released, and there are still flows coming into the lake. The road at the north end of the lake to the pumping station is still flooded. Lake Mendocino received 36 1/2 inches of rain so far this year.
The water treatment plant is operational but is only running one day a week. Soon, they will probably start running it three days a week. Approximately $30,000 will be spent on water treatment chemicals.
Energea’s contractors have begun preliminary work on replacing the solar equipment at the water treatment plant. They put up shade cloth around the fencing, but a windstorm blew it down. The idea was to prevent dust from getting on the solar panels, as some neighbors on the road drive very fast, generating a lot of dust. The old panels are still in place and operating. We won’t know whether solar energy provided by Energea is less expensive than PG&E, as promised by Energea, until the first bill is received.
Walker reported on the efforts by the Eel Russian Project Authority to take over the pumping station for the Potter Valley Project. The ERPA met on March 19, and the next meeting will probably be in June. The Eel-Russian Project Authority is now running this project. According to Walker, the Tribal, fishing and wildlife interests, and most of the NGOs are all going in the same direction, after years of negotiating. PG&E seems very receptive at this point to looking at a parallel process. There’s still optimism that this will find funding.
The Ukiah Valley Water Authority had its first Board meeting on April 2. Meetings are set for the first Tuesday of every month at 5 PM. The first meeting was setting up governance procedures. UVWA is working with water engineering consulting firm Carollo to guide the agency through the grant funding process at the Department of Water Resources’ Department of Financial Assistance. The City of Ukiah is already working with Carollo on the purple pipe recycled water project.
There could possibly be enough grant money to eventually allow for a complete infrastructure replacement in Redwood Valley. Calpella and Willow have opted not to join UVWA. Calpella is concerned about its sanitation district but has been in preliminary talks with Ukiah. Millview is essentially wheeling groundwater from Well 6 to Redwood Valley. Some are concerned that when Millview connects to a planned new subdivision of 120 homes on Lovers Lane their current water capacity will not suffice.
Larry Walker Associates is preparing to find and drill a new well for Redwood Valley at the former Masonite site. North Coast Resource Management will be on-site to do a biological survey of the area, and they will invite local Tribal representatives to be involved if they are interested.
Director Klotter wanted to know how the consolidation with Ukiah would affect ag water. Walker replied that post-consolidation, “The idea is that we are wheeling domestic potable water to domestic customers. It should free up water for ag.”
Board president Adam Gaska said, “Ideally if we get everything upgraded, we can put aside money for maintenance. The newest infrastructure in Hopland has hardly any leaks. The annexation with Flood Control eliminates a lot of problems we had in the past.” Gaska brought up the possibility that once RV is annexed into RRFC, the District may be able to issue a contract to wheel water to the Redwood Valley Rancheria, which needs a secure source of water.
Walker has been getting a lot of calls ever since the JPA was signed. There is no guarantee that the water hookup moratoriums will be lifted. It will take years to upgrade the infrastructure, but people are calling him wanting to know if they can get a new hookup
Director Tom Schoeneman commended Walker, Ukiah Water’s Sean White and Ukiah attorney Phil Williams for shepherding the consolidation process along.
There are going to be three Board positions up for election in November. Tom Schoeneman, Adam Gaska, and Bree Klotter’s seats are going to be up for re-election. If the current directors want to continue to serve on the Board, they will need to file six months prior to the election. Being part of the UVWA may change the responsibilities of the RVCWD directors. The first year of the JPA’s operation is going to be critical, with a continued need for RVCWD monthly meetings. Eventually, the Redwood Valley Board may only need to meet quarterly.
Gaska is on the board of the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which will meet on May 2. Gaska was instrumental in bringing down the budget for administrative costs with managing agency West Yost, to $600,000, about one-third of the original amount. West Yost has a new staff person, who is responsive to the Board’s concerns.
The next meeting is set for Thursday, May 16 at 5:00 pm.
Thanks for the details. … Where are the other comments? I left one a couple of days ago, but it didn’t take. ???
I especially appreciate the public servants I am reading about working to improve our community water security. When available; I would like to read more details about the planned 120 home subdivision in Redwood Valley’s Lovers Lane area (mentioned in article). I am wondering where the water would be coming from for 120 new homes.