Russian River Update 6/10/24

May 6, 2024 Russian River at Riverside Park by CJ Watt

Reservoir Storage & Operations:

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

CNN: A dangerous heat dome brought record-setting temperatures Thursday, 6/6/24

A table showing current storage levels and changes for Lakes Mendocino, Pillsbury, and Sonoma.

Graph showing Lake Mendocino storage levels for various years, including water supply and flood control pools.

Graph showing Lake Pillsbury Storage levels for different years with target storage curves.

A graph showing Lake Sonoma water storage levels from various years with annotations and different line graphs for each year.

Lake_Mendocino_Storage_6-10-24.pdf Lake_Pillsbury_Storage_6-8-24.pdf Lake_Sonoma_Storage_6-10-24.pdf

Russian River Temporary Urgency Change Approved

On April 15, 2024 Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) filed temporary urgency change petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights (SWRCB.) The petitions were submitted to modify the minimum instream flow requirements for the Russian River as established by Decision 1610. On June 6, 2024, the SWRCB issued an Order Approving Temporary Urgency Change. More information on District Website. https://www.sonomawater.org/tucp

PG&E Eel to Russian River Flow Variance

A coalition submitted a letter to FERC urgently requesting approval of the 2024 Flow Variance Request Due to Restricted Storage Capacity to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that was submitted on February 21, 2024 and received numerous public comments and motions to intervene. More information.

2024, 06-03 Variance plea by FOER, CT, TU, etc..pdf

Future of the Eel-Russian Trans Basin Diversion

PG&E has made an Extension of Time request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for their final draft of the Surrender Agreement that they are curating for the Potter Valley Project dams. PG&E made this request so that they may submit for comments to be made on their draft in January 2025, instead of June 2024. Along with this, they requested that the Final Surrender Agreement be submitted in June of 2025, instead of January 2025 – which was agreed upon previously. PG&E says that by extending this time, they will have more success in consulting with various organizations and agencies to make a better Surrender Agreement and a quicker path for the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project.

PG&E states that they are going to support the proposal of a new Eel-Russian Facility and will enter into legal agreements with the Eel-Russian Project Authority to address construction, permitting, and transferring the facility. Along with this, they would like to enter into legal agreements with agencies and parties whose interests fall outside of the FERC Surrender process. More information

Congressmember Jared Huffman at Lake Mendocino

US Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camile Touton joined Congressmember Jared Huffman and David Rabbitt, Chair of the Eel-Russian Project Authority for a site visit on Friday, June 7, 2024 to Scott Dam, Cape Horn Dam, and Coyote Valley Dam at Lake Mendocino.

They announced the $2 million Infrastructure Investment grant to Sonoma Water which will support the design of a new transfer pump station to meet the goals of the two-basin solution.

June 6, 2024 Congressmember Huffman at Coyote Valley Dam, Lake Mendocino

Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Update

Notice Of Public Hearing For Proposed Fee Adoption For Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency – RESCHEDULED!

The Fee Study initiated in 2023 is now complete and in May 2024, the UVBGSA Board voted 4-0 to accept the proposed fee structure and set a public hearing date to adopt the resolution to implement the regulatory fee. A public hearing will be held on Thursday, June 13th at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 1 PM at the County Board of Supervisors Chambers located at 501 Low Gap Road.

The fee would support the typical annual operation costs of UVBGSA’s regulatory program as authorized under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014. If you live or have a business within the areas served by these agencies, then you are a beneficiary of UVBGSA’s services and are therefore subject to the fee. For more information, see the UVB GSA Website: https://ukiahvalleygroundwater.org/

Native American Day at State Water Resources Control Board

The 57th Annual California Native American Day is Friday, September 27, 2024 - State Capitol 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. "Recognizing 100 Years of Citizenship and the Fight for the Right to Vote: 1924-2024"

The California Water Boards invite Cultural Practitioners who would like to share their cultural practice with others to apply to showcase a cultural practice at the 57th Annual California Native American Day Cultural Heritage Pavilion. The deadline to submit an application to be considered as a cultural practitioner is July 19, 2024.

“Starting in 1939, Native American Day is considered a time-honored tradition in the California Native American community. This is an all-nations event where every tribe, tribal community, and member of the public is welcome. This event is hosted by the California Tribal Chairpersons Association, Native American Heritage Commission, and various state agencies.

“This year we are expanding the Cultural Heritage Pavilion to include two ways to participate; as a cultural practitioner or a tribal cultural department. In order to meet the increased interest of cultural experts, the Cultural Heritage Pavilion will now include two tents, one for cultural practitioners and one for cultural departments.

“Application: If you're interested in sharing your cultural practices at the 57th annual California Native American Day Cultural Heritage Pavilion, please submit a completed application by July 19. Complete applications will be considered and up to 20 cultural practitioners and 10 tribal cultural departments will be selected to participate. Selected practitioners and cultural departments will be notified by early August. The application can be accessed online by clicking this link to a Microsoft form. If you have any trouble accessing the form, please contact Elizabeth Herrera at 916.341.5890 or at tribal.liaison@waterboards.ca.gov.”