Russian River Water Update 5/30/23
Reservoir Storage & Operations:
Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (more info here).
State Approved Sonoma Water's Temporary Urgency Change Petition on May 19, 2023
Order Approving Sonoma County Water Agency Temporary Urgency Change, 5/19/23
Potter Valley Project 2023 Operations
PG&E Files a Flow Variance with FERC on May 19, 2023.
PG&E proposes the East Fork RR minimum flow will start at 25 cfs upon FERC's approval of the variance and then will be adjusted between 5 cfs and 25 cfs based on PG&E and resource agency determination when daily average reservoir release water temperatures just below Scott Dam exceeds 16 degrees Celsius and/or if Lake Pillsbury storage forecast shows a reduction in flow releases is needed to maintain reservoir storage above concerning levels for facility safety. Minimum Lake Pillsbury storage threshold is set at 12,000 af. The variance ends with Lake Pillsbury storage exceeds 36k af after 10/1/23. See drought variance submission below for more information.
2023, 5-22 PGE Drought Variance submission to FERC.pdfRussian River Water Forum Updates
The Russian River Water Forum Planning Group held its first meeting on Wednesday, May 17th, 2023. The slide presentation is now available on the website . (https://russianriverwaterforum.org/)
Mendocino County Climate Action Advisory Committee
Interested in serving on the Committee to advise the Board of Supervisors on policy issues relating to disaster preparedness, natural resources, carbon storage, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions? For more information on the Committee and it’s work, contact Chair CathyMonroe@gmail.com.
For past agendas: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/mendocino-county-climate-action-advisory-committee
To apply: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/board-of-supervisors/boards-and-commissions
CA Governor Streamlining Clean Infrastructure for Climate Adaptation Projects
Build California's Clean Future, Faster - 5/19/23
CA Governor announced “… the state’s most ambitious permitting and project review reforms in a half-century to build California’s clean energy future while creating thousands of good jobs. The measures will facilitate and streamline project approval and completion to maximize California’s share of federal infrastructure dollars and expedite the implementation of projects that meet the state’s ambitious economic, climate, and social goals.”
Signed on the same day was the newest “executive order to stand up a strike team to accelerate clean infrastructure projects across the state by implementing an all-of-government strategy for planning and development.”
New Program Helps Small Agencies Write Grant Applications
The California Alliance for Jobs (CAJ) has launched the Build Better Communities grant writing assistance program to provide small agencies with free research, writing and submission support. “Too many California public entities miss grant funding opportunities because of limited staff, bandwidth, or financial resources,” said CAJ Executive Director Michael Quigley. “Our new program provides free grant research, writing, and submission support so they can leverage opportunities to invest in their community’s infrastructure.” The program targets small California municipalities with a population of 10,000 to 49,999 and special districts providing critical infrastructure, including water districts and authorities, irrigation districts, community services districts and reclamation and flood control districts, as well as rural counties. More information about the program, including a fact sheet and eligibility requirements, is available at BuildBetterGrants. The website also includes a list of some state grant opportunities for water infrastructure projects.
In the press:
- North Bay Business Journal - Tribe taps Sonoma County wineries, farms to save Russian River water, 5/22/23
- Press Democrat - Water-use reductions sap Healdsburg revenue, prompt cuts at City Hall, 5/23/23
- PPIC - Safeguarding the Future of California’s Freshwater Ecosystems, 5/22/23
- CA Water Blog - Whiplash Again! – Learning from Wet (and Dry) Years, 5/21/23
- CA Water Blog - What’s the dam problem with deadbeat dams?, 5/28/23
- CalMatters - California Democrats sideline Gavin Newsom’s plan to build big things faster, 5/25/23
- Courthouse News Service - California water manager ripped over poor climate change planning, 5/25/23