Covering water issues in Mendocino County is like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle. Limiting the geographic area to the Ukiah Valley, Lake Mendocino and the Upper Russian River, there are over a dozen water agencies that are involved in local water use policies. We decided to catch up with the MCIWPC, as we have not been covering these meetings.
Before reporting on the October 10 meeting, here is a summary of some of the parties involved. The MCIWPC is made up of these member agencies: County of Mendocino Water Agency, City of Ukiah, Redwood Valley County Water District, Potter Valley Irrigation District, and Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District. Each of these agencies has an elected representative on the Commission. The Commission meets monthly on the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm in the County Ag Building. The MCIWPC is a significant party when it comes to negotiating for Mendocino County’s interests regarding the Russian River.
Janet Pauli is the Chair of the MCIWPC, and she is also on the Board of the Potter Valley Irrigation District. Pauli is also on the Board of the Eel-Russian Project Authority, a JPA formed to negotiate with PG&E about PG&E’s planned abandonment of the Potter Valley Project and plan to decommission the dams on the Eel River. In 2017 Congressman Jared Huffman proposed to solve the problem of how to heal the ecology of the Eel River Basin, while at the same time ensuring water security and habitat protection for people living in the Russian River basin, by organizing a Two Basin Solution Partnership. ERPA has been formed to ultimately own, operate and fund the new diversion facility which is needed to attain the envisioned Two Basin Solution.
The Boards of the local water agencies, NGOs, and state and federal authorities have been wrestling with this problem for years. Earlier this year, the parties representing both the Eel River and the Russian River agreed to create a winter seasonal diversion of Eel River water through the tunnel into the East Branch of the Upper Russian River. PG&E is in the process of negotiating with ERPA about what it will take to create the seasonal diversion. ERPA is administered by the County of Sonoma Water agency, which has rights to water stored in Lake Mendocino. Constructing a new diversion facility, and figuring out how to store winter water for use in the dry summer months is going to cost a fortune.
The Commission spent the first hour of the October 10 meeting in closed session, discussing the Potter Valley project with their attorneys. Pauli reported afterward that no action was taken and there is nothing to report under the Brown Act.
Under the agenda item for Commissioner Reports, Sean White, Ukiah’s Director of Water Resources reported that the consolidation of the small water districts managed by Willow County Water District with the city of Ukiah is going well. The new agency is called the Ukiah Valley Water Authority. A letter with information about the consolidation has been sent to customers. The UVWA is applying for grant funding from the State to upgrade and connect infrastructure. Willow, which manages two of the districts being consolidated, Millview and Redwood Valley, voted to join the UVWA. The JPA agreement for UVWA has been legally amended to allow Willow and Calpella (which has a sanitation district) to join. So far Calpella has not yet asked to join.
The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency met earlier in the day. Glenn McGourty, who is on the Board of the UVBGSA, would like to conduct a new water use study, as the existing study was done in 2007. Information on current consumptive use of water is needed to satisfy State reporting requirements. Bills for fees from the UVBGSA will soon be sent to water users, either on the property tax bills or included in domestic water bills. The website link above has a page describing how the fees are calculated.
California Fish and Wildlife awarded a grant of over $1.3 million to the UVBGSA for studies on surface groundwater interfaces that are required by the state.
The Upper Russian River Water Agency will probably be disbanded, as it was formed to consolidate the small districts managed by Willow. These have now been consolidated into the UVWA. McGourty said former First District Supervisor Carre Brown was instrumental in getting the consolidation process, required by the state, off the ground.
The annexation of Redwood Valley County Water District into Russian River Flood Control is going through the LAFCO process.
With the Commissioner’s reports out of the way, the next item was the status of the Potter Valley Project. The MCIWPC Commissioners are working with PG&E and other stakeholders on a regular basis, meeting every week. PG&E is scheduled to release the draft Surrender Plan in January 2025, and the final Surrender Plan in July 2025. The final plan is expected to include details on integrating building new diversion facilities, and the plan to decommission Van Arsdale and Scott Dams. Pauli said, “It’s quite an effort to get it all coordinated. PG&E can see we are serious. We have a good working relationship, but there is a lot of work to be done and time is getting short.”
After this past rainy season, PG&E decided to leave the gates open at Scott Dam for seismic reasons. PG&E requested a flow variance because of concern about warm water being released below Scott Dam, which would harm the fish. This past summer, PG&E has been delivering 50 cubic feet per second to the PVID upon request. PG&E also delivered 25 cfs into the East Branch of the Russian River throughout the summer, although they were permitted to lower this to 5 cfs. The water level behind Scott Dam was at 36,000 acre feet on October 1. That level of water changes the requirements of the flow variance, which is now at 35 cfs. This will hopefully add water to Lake Mendocino, which is lower than it was at the same time last year.
There are no ERPA meetings planned at this time. There is not much to do until PG&E releases the final surrender plan, except to negotiate with other Russian River water users and attorneys as to how to fund a new diversion facility and more water storage.
MCIWPC has been talking with the Army Corps of Engineers about a feasibility study to raise Coyote Dam. This will depend on seismic and other studies needed to determine if raising the dam is viable.
The Commission next discussed budget needs for 2025, most of which will involve legal and consultant fees, which are expected to rise. A meeting with all the member agencies of the MCIWPC needs to be scheduled to discuss the budget. Sonoma County is working on modeling studies. A CEQA analysis may be needed. Negotiations with National Marine Fisheries Service and California Fish and Wildlife will be necessary. Funding for Jacobs consultants is coming to an end and may need to be extended. In November a town hall meeting in Potter Valley will be held to inform the public about the results from the Jacobs studies to date. The MCIWPC will need funding for writing grants for continued studies. Fees to the individual water districts will be higher than last year, possibly $75,000, up from $60,000.
The Army Corps of Engineers has asked for an extension until the end of the year to sign the feasibility study to raise Coyote Dam at Lake Mendocino. MCIWPC is working with Congressman Jared Huffman’s staff on these issues, as the Congressman needs to be aware of the costs, and possibly help with finding funding. Mendocino County cannot fund these major projects without federal, and or, state support.
Pauli thanked the City of Ukiah for its offer to help with communication and public outreach.
The next MCIWPC meeting is set for November 14, 2024 at 6:00 pm.
