The Ukiah Valley Water Authority (UVWA) is progressing with a consolidation plan to unify local water districts and improve water reliability in Mendocino County. General Manager Jared Walker and Ukiah Water Manager Sean White recently led a tour with Carollo engineers to assess the infrastructure. Supported by state grants, the project aims to upgrade aging systems and could eventually lift the moratorium on new water hookups in Redwood Valley.
General Manager Jared Walker, along with Sean White, Manager for City of Ukiah Water, spent a few days with Carollo consulting engineers. The locals gave the out-of-town engineers a tour of the area to be served by the Ukiah Valley Water Authority. Some, but not all, of the small water districts controlled by Willow County Water District, are in the process of consolidation with UVWA. Walker reported that all the water tanks looked good. The tour was to chart the assets of the UVWA. The engineers from the Bay Area commented on the large geographic area to be covered by the consolidation. The tour and inspection will enable Carollo to prepare the grant application. The State Department of Water Resources is expected to pay for a large part of the consolidation through grants. Walker said the tours went well, and a follow-up meeting will be scheduled with Carollo to discuss next steps.
Office Manager Liz Patton reported that integration of the billing of Redwood Valley with the new UVWA is progressing. Director Bree Klotter wanted to know where the District’s customer payments will go after January 1. Walker replied that he would soon meet with the management of the City of Ukiah, and he expected the city to control all the funds for the UVWA.
Willow County Water District has voted to join the Ukiah Valley Water Authority. Because the attorneys needed to amend the Joint Powers Agreement to include Willow, they put in language allowing a sanitation district to join as well, thinking that Calpella may soon opt to join. Calpella has a sanitation district in addition to a water district, which none of the other districts under Willow’s management have. The Board voted to approve the Amended and Restated JPA.
The question now is how long will the remaining small agencies managed by Willow continue to operate without joining the UVWA? The State of California wants small districts to consolidate to provide water security for all.
The consolidation process will involve a CEQA review. The interties among the small districts have been connected for ten years under a drought emergency status. There has been talk in local circles of possible new housing development in Redwood Valley, assuming the moratorium on new water hookups will soon be lifted. The Board discussed their expectation that the moratorium will not be lifted any time soon. The State will need to make sure that the new UVWA can supply water reliably during future droughts before allowing new hookups.
Replacing the 50-year-old pipes and other aging infrastructure in the ground will be a priority for the UVWA. The city of Ukiah staff has been meeting with the DWR about this issue. The project needs to get underway while grant funding is still available.
Walker relayed that during the initial talks about consolidation with Ukiah and the districts managed by Willow, the DWR insisted that Redwood Valley be included, whether or not it wanted to be. “The state is thrilled that we are even this far in the process,” said Walker. This may be the first time that several small districts have consolidated.
After the consolidation into the UVWA is completed, the small districts will remain as entities until their service areas are fully annexed by the city of Ukiah. They will eventually be dissolved, but that is not in the near future, most likely more than five years out. One of the complicating issues is existing water rights. Originally, it was contemplated that the Upper Russian River Water Authority would be the consolidating agency, with the City of Ukiah joining its JPA. The issues were too complex for that to happen, and the UVWA was formed to include the City of Ukiah.
The District is pursuing annexation into Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control’s district. A search is underway for real estate documents evidencing descriptions of metes and bounds, and maps. These documents go back decades, and staff, along with Director Bree Klotter, have been searching old files and various local records. The cost for the annexation is expected to be $60,000, to be divided between the District and RRFC.
More water meters will need to be ordered for the water meter replacement project in Redwood Valley. There is currently a 105-day lead time on shipping new meters. Approximately 300-400 meters will be needed, which can be borrowed from Millview’s inventory. The new meters will replace Millview’s inventory when they arrive.
Because Lake Pillsbury’s level was above 35,000 acre-feet as of October 1, the summer flow variance has been lifted. PG&E has been releasing 35 cubic feet per second into the East Branch of the Russian River, but that water has not yet made a noticeable difference in the level of Lake Mendocino.
There is nothing new to report on the Eel-Russian Project Authority. Russian River water agencies are waiting until January 2025, when PG&E will submit its draft surrender plan for the Potter Valley Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The well drilling project funded by the Small Community Drought Relief grant is on a temporary hold. Work will commence after acres of dry grass can be mowed at the Masonite site. The mowing has to wait for a bit of rain, as the grass was tinder dry. LACO consulting engineers and the well drilling contractor Larry Walker Associates are eager to get started.
Board President Adam Gaska, who is also the Board Chair of the Ukiah Valley Basin Sustainable Groundwater Agency, said that the UVBGSA sent an invoice for fees to URRWA, without breaking out the fees for each agency in URRWA. Because fees are based on water use, it would be better for the GSA to break down the fees according to how much water is pumped by each agency within URRWA. The City of Ukiah is in line to take over management of the GSA, and Gaska anticipates that costs will be reduced each year, as the two biggest expenses of the GSA, public outreach and the rate and fee study, have been billed already.
The electrical work at the pump station at Lake Mendocino has been completed.
The District’s financial audit is expected to be done before the November Board meeting.
Director Tom Schoeneman would like to maintain the Redwood Valley Board of Directors, even though the consolidation with UVWA will be effective January 1. Perhaps the meetings can be reduced to quarterly or semi-annually. The UVWA Executive Committee will have two members from the boards of each of its member agencies.
The next RVCWD meeting is Thursday, November 21, at 5:00 pm.
