Russian River Weekly Update 3/17/25

Lake Mendocino south parking lot on February 25, 2025, by E Salomone

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Reservoir Storage & Operations:

Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (find more water storage info here).

Lake storage data: Mendocino: 91,192 acre-feet; Pillsbury: 57,773 acre-feet; Sonoma: 265,181 acre-feet. 7-day changes are positive.

Graph showing Lake Mendocino storage from 2018 to 2025 in acre-feet, with various curves and a highlighted point on March 17, 2025.

Lake Pillsbury storage graph from 2018-2025 with target storage scenarios in Acre-feet. Highlight on March 15, 2025, storage.

Graph showing Lake Sonoma storage from 2018-2025, with varying acre-feet, peaking in early 2023 at around 300,000 acre-feet.

Russian River Hydrologic Status Report by Sonoma Water 3/17/25

On October 31st, the State Water Resources Control Board issued the Order approving Sonoma Water’s Temporary Urgency Change Petition (filed 8/22/2024) on water-right Permits 12947A, 12949, 12950, and 16596 (Applications 12919A, 15736, 15737, and 19351) to implement an alternative hydrologic index based on storage values in Lake Mendocino.

Per the Order, Sonoma Water issues weekly hydrologic status reports covering the current hydrologic condition of the Russian River system, including current reservoir levels and the rate of decline for Lake Mendocino, Lake Pillsbury, and Lake Sonoma; a 16 day cumulative rainfall forecast; current inflow from the Potter Valley Project; and a summary of the available water quality data.

Russian River Hydrologic Status Report

These reports will continue to be issued throughout the full term of the Order, which remains in effect until April 30, 2025. Access to previous hydrologic status reports and additional information about the Temporary Urgency Change Petition can be found on Sonoma Water’s TUCP webpage and TUCP archive.

All Things PG&E and PVP

RRFC's website page on the PG&E Draft Surrender Application & Decommissioning Plan for PVP. (including public comments submitted.)

Sonoma Water Agency files Temporary Urgency Change Petition for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Pilot

Sonoma County Water Agency has filed a petition for temporary urgency change for water right Permit 16596 (Application 19351). Pursuant to the existing water right, water is diverted from the Russian River stream system in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. The petition seeks authorization to add a point of rediversion to conduct an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) pilot study at its well in the Santa Rosa Plain groundwater basin, starting June 1, 2025. A total of up to 50 acre-feet of water is anticipated for recharge and recovery through the petition.

Approval of the temporary urgency change petition would authorize the use of water for the ASR pilot testing at Sonoma Water’s Sebastopol Road well, located near the City of Sebastopol. The ASR pilot test will use existing infrastructure to deliver recharge water from the Russian River to the well site. Recharge water includes potable water from Sonoma Water’s transmission system, operating at a maximum recharge rate of 1.2 cubic foot per second (cfs) and maximum production rate of 2.3 cfs. The total amount of recharge and recovery of up to 50 acre-feet of water is anticipated. To view the Notice and project information, please visit the State Water Board announcement of TUCP

North Coast Resource Partnership – Next Meeting

The May 29th meeting is cancelled. The next meeting will be October 17th in Yreka. For more information, visit www.northcoastresourcepartnership.org

State Water Resources Control Board Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Water Measurement and Reporting Regulations (SB88)

The State Water Resources Control Board is proposing (Notice of Proposed Action) to revise the regulations for measuring and reporting surface water diversions. The proposed revisions require diverters to report data in a standardized format, provide an email address, identify measurement locations, and make other minor accompanying changes. The revisions are needed to align regulatory requirements with the Board’s new online water rights data system, California Water Accounting, Tracking, and Reporting System (CalWATRS). A detailed explanation of the proposed regulation revisions and rulemaking process are available on the Water Measurement and Reporting Regulation Rulemaking webpage.

Ukiah Valley Basin GSA Issues REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for Upper Russian River Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem and Interconnected Surface Waters Study

Date of Issue: March 6, 2025. Due Date: April 7, 2025, 5:00 p.m.

The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is soliciting proposals from consultants or firms with experience in the analysis of groundwater dependent ecosystems and interconnected surface waters for the Upper Russian River watershed of the Ukiah Valley groundwater basin. Specific objectives of this Project are to: 1) Monitor waters through desktop and modeling exercises, including detailed aerial and field-level biological surveys; 2) Create an expanded monitoring network including well sensors and geochemical and isotopic measurements; 3) Develop a long-term monitoring plan and recommendations for water resource management strategies within the Basin. The scope of work, minimum qualifications, schedule of key dates, submittal format and content, and other information can be found in the Request for Proposals, and can be found online at:

https://ukiahvalleygroundwater.org/requests-for-proposals/

City of Ukiah Draft Climate Action Plan Public Comment Period 3/3-4/2/25

The City of Ukiah is pleased to announce an opportunity for members of the community to provide public comment to aid the City in its development of a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The City of Ukiah has completed the development of a draft Climate Action Plan and will be soliciting community feedback during a 30-day public comment period starting Monday, March 3, 2025 and ending April 2, 2025. To access this public comment opportunity, please visit the City’s website at https://cityofukiah.com/climate-action-plan/ and visit https://cityofukiah.com/climate-resilience/ to learn more about the City’s ongoing efforts to address the climate emergency. For more information, please contact: Blake Adams, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Ukiah @ badams@cityofukiah.com.

Water 101 Workshop by CA Water Education Foundation – April 10, 2025

The annual Water 101 Workshop details the history, geography, legal and political facets of water in California as well as hot topics currently facing the state. Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in California, the one-day workshop on April 10 gives attendees a deeper understanding of the state’s most precious natural resource.