Temporary Urgency Change Petition Archive

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May 2023 Temporary Urgency Change Order

On April 24, 2023 Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) filed temporary urgency change petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights. The petitions were submitted for Temporary Urgency Change to modify the minimum instream flow requirements for the Russian River as established by Decision 1610 for Permits 12947 A, 12949, 12950 and 16596.

On May 19, 2023, the Division of Water Rights issued an order that approved the requested changes of the TUCPs with various terms and conditions including fisheries habitat and water quality monitoring. The order will remain in effect through October 15, 2023. 

December 2022 Temporary Urgency Change Order

On October 31, 2022 Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water) filed temporary urgency change petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights. The TUCPs were submitted to address significant reductions in flows into the East Fork Russian River through Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Potter Valley Project (PVP) due to a transformer bank failure, as well as continuing drought conditions in the Russian River Watershed. The TUCPs requested the implementation of a hydrologic index based on Lake Mendocino storage values, rather than the index based on cumulative inflow into Lake Pillsbury in the water right permits.

On December 14, 2022, the Division of Water Rights issued an order that approved the requested changes of the TUCPs with various terms and conditions including fisheries habitat and water quality monitoring. The order will remain in effect through June 11, 2023.

June 2022 Temporary Urgency Change Order

On May 25, 2022, Sonoma Water filed Temporary Urgency Change Petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Division of Water Rights requesting changes to establish a Critical water supply condition in the Russian River. Under Critical water supply conditions, the Russian River would have minimum instream flow requirements of 25 cfs and 35 cfs in the upper and lower river, respectively. This change allowed Sonoma Water to continue the minimum instream flows that the river was operating under and preserve water supply in both Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma. It also helps avoid violating the Incidental Take Statement for Dry Creek established in the Russian River Biological Opinion. Additionally, Sonoma Water and its water contractors have committed to reducing total diversions from the Russian River by 20% compared to the same period of 2020 from July 1 through October 31.

On June 17, 2022, the  State Water Resource Control Board (State Water Board) Division of Water Rights issued an order that approved the requested changes of the TUCPs with various terms and conditions.

Diversion Reduction Requirement (Term 12) Report

Term 12 required Sonoma Water to reduce river diversions at its facilities by 20% compared to 2020 based on cumulative diversions from July 1 through October 31. The final monthly diversion reduction report documents the achieved cumulative diversion reduction of 30.5%  and compliance with the term requirement. 

December 2021 Temporary Urgency Change Order

On November 16, 2021, Sonoma Water filed Temporary Urgency Change Petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Division of Water Rights (Division) requesting a change in the hydrologic index used to establish the water supply condition in the Russian River watershed. Sonoma Water's water rights permits require the maintenance of minimum instream flows downstream of Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma. The minimum instream flows are specified for the three major managed regulatory reaches--Upper Russian, Lower Russian and Dry Creek--by season and water supply conditions as set by the hydrologic index. The hydrologic index in Sonoma Water's water rights permits is based on the cumulative inflow into Lake Pillsbury on the Eel River, which reflects the contribution of inter-basin transfers of Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) Potter Valley Project (PVP) hydroelectric facility to the East Fork of the Russian River.

In October 2021, PG&E reported a major equipment failure of the transformer bank at the facility, which is anticipated to severely reduce the inter-basin transfers through the upcoming years. Due to the unexpected shutdown in the PVP hydroelectric plant operations, Sonoma Water requested in its TUCPs that the water supply conditions in the Russian River be established based on storage thresholds in Lake Mendocino. While there are limited inter-basin transfers that are expected to continue to flow into the East Fork of the Russian River upstream of Lake Mendocino, the magnitude of these transfers doesn't approach the historic contributions upon which the selection of Lake Pillsbury cumulative inflow as the hydrologic index was based on.         

On December 10, the State Water Resources Control Board issued an order that approved the requested changes of the TUCPs with various terms and conditions. See the links below for copies of the TUCPs and the associated order.  

2021 Temporary Urgency Change Petition

The Russian River Watershed is experiencing a second consecutive year of extremely dry conditions, with Water Year 2021 being the driest year and Water Year 2020 being the fourth driest in the Ukiah Valley since 1893.

Sonoma Water has projected that Lake Mendocino would drain to its reservoir model’s dead pool storage level by October 1, 2021, without its additional proposed temporary changes.
 An urgent need also exists for the proposed change in minimum instream flow requirements on the Lower Russian River. Lake Sonoma is at its lowest storage level since it began storing water in 1984. Sonoma Water predicted Lake Sonoma could decline to below 100,000 AF by October 1, 2021, without additional mitigation measures.

On May 14, 2021, Sonoma Water filed Temporary Urgency Change Petitions (TUCPs) with the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), Division of Water Rights (Division) requesting approval of changes to the subject permits pursuant to California Water Code section 1435. The TUCPs requested temporary reductions to the Russian River instream flow requirement terms of the subject permits, to address the current dry conditions in the Russian River Watershed and the extreme low storage conditions in Lake Mendocino, and to avoid potential violations of the Incidental Take Statement contained in the 2008 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Biological Opinion.

On June 14, 2021, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a Temporary Urgency Change Order as follows:
 The minimum instream flow requirements in the Russian River shall be modified as follows:

  • Minimum instream flow in the Upper Russian River shall remain at or above 25 cfs, as measured on a five-day running average of average daily stream flow;
  • Minimum instream flow in the Lower Russian River shall remain at or above 35 cfs, as measured on a five-day running average of average daily stream flow;
  • Sonoma Water shall pass through or release sufficient water to maintain a continuous, instantaneous streamflow of no less than 15 cfs in the Upper Russian River and no less than 25 cfs in the Lower Russian River at all times.

The order includes significant monitoring for water quality and availability of aquatic habitat for salmonids, including continuous monitoring of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductivity at multiple stations from Calpella to Jenner.

On October 22, the State Water Resources Control Board issued an amended order that modified Condition 11 of the original order.  Condition 11 limited Sonoma Water cumulative diversions from July 1 through the end of the order (December 10) to 20% below 2020 diversions over the same period. The amended order suspends this requirement while water rights curtailments in the watershed are not in effect whether by suspension or rescission. It also requires Sonoma Water customers that are urban water suppliers to implement the appropriate stage of their respective Water Shortage Contingency Plans, consistent with the Governor’s October 19, 2021 emergency drought proclamation.

2020 Temporary Urgency Change Petition

In response to the third driest year on record in our region and water supply projections that show the potential for Lake Mendocino to decline to critically low water storage levels, the State Water Resources Control Board on July 29, 2020 approved Sonoma Water’s request to provide flexibility in how water releases are made from Lake Mendocino and flows are managed in the Russian River. The Temporary Urgency Change Order (Order) allows Sonoma Water the flexibility of reducing Russian River flows to 50 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) in the upper Russian River and 60 CFS in the lower Russian River. If water storage in Lake Mendocino drops more than one percent below the target water supply storage levels, the Order authorizes Sonoma Water to reduce flows to 40 CFS in the upper Russian River and 50 CFS in the lower Russian River. Lake Mendocino is currently about 2,000 acre-feet above target water supply storage levels. If water levels continue to remain above the target water supply storage by a similar buffer, flows in the upper Russian River would be managed near 70-75 cfs and near 80-85 cfs in the lower Russian River.

 
In June, Sonoma Water filed a Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) with the State Water Resources Control Board to reduce Russian River minimum in-stream flows this summer. With the Ukiah region facing its third driest water year on record, Lake Mendocino’s water supply is projected to reach critically low levels due to dry conditions and reduced water transfers from the Potter Valley Project. The reduced Potter Valley Project water transfer is forecasted to put Lake Mendocino’s water supply levels into a critical condition. This critical condition is concerning for communities and agriculture that rely on Lake Mendocino for water their supply and could threaten water quality conditions for endangered fish species migrating in the fall up the Russian River. Minimum in-stream flows requested in the TUCP would help preserve water supplies in Lake Mendocino and protect the fall migration of endangered fish.
 
Sonoma Water Director James Gore said, “Sonoma Water needs every tool in its toolbox to ensure our regional water supply system has sufficient supplies to both meet urban water demand but also protect endangered fish species in the Russian River. The requested reduction in minimum flows is one tool that will help us meet our goals of balancing water for people and fish this year. Another important tool is water conservation. Our community has done a great job saving water and we encourage everyone to continue with their water saving efforts.”
 
Sonoma Water has launched a public awareness effort to increase community education on how the Russian River water supply system operates and the importance of saving water and its impact on the water supply system. A special E-News has also been created to help educate the community regarding the Order.
 
In addition, the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, a coalition of Sonoma Water’s retail water contractors, have launched an annual saving water public education campaign. The campaign includes radio and newspaper public service announcements educating the community about water saving best practices. Our region continues to meet state conservation goals and has lowered water use from 130 gallons per capita per day (GPCD) in 2013, to 107 GPCD in 2019. That is well below the state’s 2020 conservation target of 129 GPCD for our region. Learn more about the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership and how to save water at www.savingwaterpartnership.org.
 
Sonoma Water General Manager Grant Davis said, “The Temporary Urgency Change Order will preserve water storage in Lake Mendocino. By preserving storage, we can better maintain the cold-water pool at Lake Mendocino to improve water quality conditions for migrating endangered fish from the ocean into the Russian River. We will also have more flexibility to manage our regional water supply system.”

Public comments on the TUCP were managed by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Temporary Urgency Change Petition, filed 6/8/20

Temporary Urgency Change Order from the State Water Resources Control Board, filed 7/29/20

Notice of Exemption

Supporting Data

  • Ukiah rainfall to date: Ukiah is currently experiencing the third driest water-year on record with a total 14.67" of rainfall which is 40.2% of normal
  • Ukiah average rainfall through July 22: 36.28"
  • Ukiah average rainfall for the entire water-year is 37.03"
  • Lake Mendocino storage level as of July 22: 69.4% of water supply storage curve
  • Lake Pillsbury, owned and operated by PG&E, is currently facing critically low water levels and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently permitted PG&E to reduce the amount of water released from Lake Pillsbury into the Potter Valley Project to protect fish species in the Eel River.

Community Outreach

Listen to the 2020 TUCP Radio Ads: #1 | #2 | #3 | Transcripts

More Information

Temporary Urgency Change Petition, filed 6/8/20

Temporary Urgency Change Order from the State Water Reousrces Control Board, filed 7/29/20

Notice of Exemption

Press Release 6/8/20: Third Driest Year on Record Leads to Reduced Russian River Flow Request to Protect Fisheries, Water Users Urged to Continue Saving Water

Video 5/26/20: Sonoma Water Director Lynda Hopkins interviewing Water Resources Planner Don Seymour

Press Democrat Article 5/26/20: "Dry winter spurs water managers to cut Russian River flows to retain reservoir supplies"

Minimum in-stream flow background:

Sonoma Water controls and coordinates water supply releases from Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma to implement the minimum instream flow requirements in water rights Decision 1610, which the State Water Resources Control Board adopted in 1986. Decision 1610 specifies minimum flow requirements for the Upper Russian River, Dry Creek, and the Lower Russian River. These minimum flow requirements vary based on water supply conditions, which are also specified in Decision 1610. The Decision 1610 requirements for the Upper Russian River and Lower Russian River are contained in term 20 of the Water Agency’s water-right Permit 12947A (Application 12919A). The Decision 1610 requirements for the Lower Russian River are contained in term 17 of the Water Agency’s water-right Permit 12949 (Application 15736) and term 17 of the Water Agency’s water-right Permit 12950 (Application 15737). The Decision 1610 requirements for Dry Creek and the Lower Russian River are contained in term 13 of the Water Agency’s water-right Permit 16596 (Application 19351).

Sonoma Water’s operations are also subject to the Russian River Biological Opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service on September 24, 2008.

Additional Reports

View Weekly Hydrologic Reports of recent historical hydrologic conditions and forecasted rainfall for the Russian River watershed

View Water Accounting Reports with detailed analysis of reservoir operations and river flows in the Russian River watershed

View Russian River Water Quality Status Reports

View Previous Years TUCP Information on the State Water Resources Control Board website