Defining Groundwater Conditions In Three Local Basins

Press release from the Sonoma County Government:

May 12, 2021

Santa Rosa, CA – May 12, 2021 – Well owners in Santa Rosa Plain, Petaluma Valley and Sonoma Valley are invited to join community meetings on groundwater conditions and sustainable management of this critical water source.

The Santa Rosa Plain, Petaluma Valley and Sonoma Valley groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) are nearing completion of major plans that identify issues with current and future groundwater resources and that describe how these challenges will be addressed. The meetings will provide a preview of the proposed sustainability indicators that have been developed with stakeholder input, and that are the heart of the Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs).

Each virtual meeting will focus on a specific basin. The first meeting is scheduled for Santa Rosa Plain on Wednesday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. Subsequent meetings will be held for Petaluma Valley (May 26) and Sonoma Valley (June 23). Additional information and meeting links can be found below and at sonomacountygroundwater.org.

The GSPs are 20-year plans to ensure the sustainable use of groundwater within a groundwater basin. The three Sonoma County GSAs are required by the state Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to develop GSPs by January 30, 2022. The purpose of the GSPs are to establish local, measurable criteria for sustainably managing groundwater, and to determine how each basin will maintain or achieve these goals.

While the upcoming meetings will not focus on the current drought, local water conditions highlight future challenges in the basin as climate change leads to longer, more frequent droughts and fewer, but more intense storms.

Meeting Information Santa Rosa Plain

Wednesday, May 19 5:30-7:30 p.m. Advance registration available at https://scwa-ca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IDG3bmViQMinezLYiSTVJQ

Petaluma Valley

Wednesday, May 26 5:30-7:30 p.m. Advanced registration available at https://scwa-ca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HyJBsqm8Saerx93phh2yVQ

Sonoma Valley

Wednesday, June 23 5:30-7:30 p.m. Advanced registration available at https://scwa-ca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AbqrwLEYQN2r4nIfBy7HiA

For more information about local groundwater please visit:

www.petalumavalleygroundwater.org
www.santarosaplaingroundwater.org
www.sonomavalleygroundwater.org

This press release was produced by the Sonoma County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.