Water Coalition

Water is a shared finite public trust resource. Unregulated and unmanaged exploitation of groundwater, a vital resource, has led to a crisis in Sonoma County. Sonoma County’s General Plan Update offers an opportunity to construct effective policy needed to respond to this crisis over the next 20 years. Prompted by the seriousness of this situation over twenty organizations have joined together in a Coalition to monitor clean water issues.

Clean Water Coalition of Northern Sonoma County

Clean Water Coalition: An organization comprised of local groups and concerned individuals within the agriculture valleys in Northern Sonoma County. The Coalition represents citizens who live in the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek watershed or Middle Reach of the Russian River, and who depend on high-quality groundwater supplies for drinking, domestic uses and agriculture.

The Coalition is focused on preserving both groundwater and surface water quality and availability in the agricultural valleys upstream from the Sonoma County Water Agency drinking water collectors. These valleys are characterized by highly permeable alluvial soils and shallow groundwater resources. We advocate for stewardship of this public trust resource as our valleys form the drinking water aquifer that supplies the towns of Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor and the customers of the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Pure, naturally filtered water is essential to the health of the 20,000 people who rely on groundwater supplies in this aquifer, as well as the 700,000 municipal water customers in Sonoma and Marin Counties. Likewise, clean water is vital to agriculture, and agriculture is important to the economic health of Sonoma County.

Mission: To provide a strong voice for local citizens and civic organizations in public discussions about water and wastewater projects.

Clean Water Coalition Positions Statement

Purpose:

To ensure that water infrastructure projects protect and preserve the natural resources, agriculture, and scenic character of Northern Sonoma County.

Positions:

Wastewater reuse is an important goal in water-constrained California. All wastewater reuse should be appropriate to the specific conditions of the disposal site and taken by the landowner on a voluntary basis.
For potable water offset, wastewater should be reused in the urban areas where it is generated as a priority before consideration of transporting urban wastewater to other locations or watersheds.
Wastewater discharge and reuse projects should not result in degradation to soils, surface water or groundwater, and as a baseline, should meet groundwater recharge reuse standards. Exceptions to this standard should be made on the basis of technical studies.
Current State regulations treat all tertiary treated wastewater as equal when, in fact, the concentrations of organic chemicals, metals, salts, and nutrients vary significantly from source to source or season to season.
1. All proposed projects must thoroughly and adequately study each wastewater source and the conditions at the disposal or reuse site (soils, hydrology and geology) for the potential of a direct discharge to groundwater or long term contamination.
2. For example, the same wastewater discharged to different sites could result in very different impacts. Irrigation with wastewater can adversely affect groundwater when applied to highly permeable alluvial soils or in areas with shallow groundwater tables.
Municipalities generating wastewater should fully mitigate the impacts within their urban growth boundaries, including limiting the number of building permits, not merely transport their waste to another location outside their jurisdiction.
All projects need to address the impacts and protect private wells as well as municipal water systems. There are over 20,000 rural residents in Northern Sonoma County who rely solely on groundwater for potable water supply.
Wastewater reuse projects need to assess the public reaction or perception, and the potential for unintended economic consequences, associated with wastewater use on premium grapes and organic vegetables and other food crops.
Projects that include large scale construction projects, such as pipelines and reservoirs, must address both the temporary and permanent effects on tourism, commerce and traffic flow.
We advocate using incentives to fund infiltration repairs, which would reduce the need for wastewater infrastructure.
We believe that simply moving a wastewater discharge point or creating mixing zones does not protect water quality and the habitat of endangered species. Wastewater should be treated to a level that does not contribute to continuing impairments of the Laguna and to a level that helps restore the Laguna to meet Water Quality Standards.