West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study

Stakeholder Committee Meetings

As part of the West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study (see description below), Sonoma Water created a committee of interested stakeholders to better understand community concerns associated with waste management and treatment in western Sonoma County and to help chart the course forward.

The stakeholder committee will meet eight times between fall 2024 and winter 2026. Generally, meetings will be two hours long and will take place virtually. The meetings are open to the public. 

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Meeting information:

Meeting #1: Project Introduction, Study Area and Committee Charter, October 22, 2024 

Materials:


2025 Meetings – Staff will update topics and post the agendas closer to meeting dates


West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study

In the winter of 2019, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board received notice of three unauthorized waste discharges from facilities owned or operated by the Russian River County Sanitation District. Further inspection and analysis of the event attributed the discharges to inadequate funding to address aging infrastructure, a need for additional facility maintenance and issues related to system capacity during extreme wet weather events. More information on the actions of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is available in Order No. R1-2023-0049 and Attachment A (How the penalty was calculated) and Attachment B (Enhanced Compliance Action).

As a result of the discharges and subsequent cleanup and investigation by the regulatory board, the sanitation district is required to implement an Enhanced Compliance Action for the West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study with Stakeholder Committee Project. A major component of the project is the formation of a stakeholder committee to better understand community issues and concerns associated with waste management and treatment in western Sonoma County.

One approach that has been discussed to address these issues is the concept of “regionalization.” Regionalization could include things like connections between smaller systems (such as the Occidental County Sanitation District to Graton Community Service District Wastewater Transfer Pipeline) or consolidation of multiple smaller systems to create a larger customer base. This could create greater efficiency and lead to more standardized wastewater treatment throughout the project area.

Timeline 

The West County Water Quality and Recycled Water Supply Feasibility Study is expected to last from Q2 2024 through Q2 2026.

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Other projects

Several different projects are occurring in western Sonoma County at the same time as this feasibility study effort:

OCSD-Graton Sewer Transfer Pipeline – The Graton Community Services District approached the Occidental County Sanitation District several years ago to express interest in providing wastewater treatment and disposal services. Based on a feasibility study conducted by Occidental in 2022, there is potential for both Graton and Occidental to obtain significant benefits by connecting their systems together via the Occidental County Sanitation District to the Graton Community Service District Wastewater Transfer Pipeline Project. The objective of this project is to design approximately seven miles of 4-inch diameter force main pipeline to transfer wastewater from Occidental to Graton for treatment, reuse and disposal. More information about this project can be found here:  https://www.sonomawater.org/ocsdpipeline.

OWTS Mapping Study & Analysis –  This county-led project is developing an interactive mapping tool and report to better understand on-site wastewater treatment systems in the county and their related challenges and opportunities. More information about this project can be found here:  https://owts-mapping-tool-hub-1-sonomacounty.hub.arcgis.com/.

Russian River Pathogen Reduction Planning Project – Starting in 2024, this county-led project will develop and prioritize potential projects to address various sources of pathogen pollution in the Russian River, including septic systems, with the intention of pursuing further grant money to support project implementation. More information about this project can be found here:  https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/tmdls/russian_river/.

Monte Rio/Villa Grande Feasibility Study – Local government entities have collectively launched a project to explore community wastewater solutions and hired a consultant who is studying the feasible alternatives for the area. This project responds to the anticipated changes to septic system requirements, which are intended to protect water quality and public heath, and which will affect many properties in the Russian River watershed, including most, if not all, of the Monte Rio/Villa Grande area.

The State of California identified segments of the Russian River that are not meeting water quality standards for pathogens and identified areas of land associated with these segments as areas of concern. The new septic requirements will apply differently to properties in these areas of concern. After the new state regulations are approved, new requirements will apply, such as an initial reporting of system information, ongoing five-year operational inspections, and system upgrades if your system is deficient and the replacement system would be located close to the Russian River or its feeder streams. More information is available on the Sonoma County website.

Governance Study – This study seeks to provide options to improve government services in the Lower Russian River region. The study took place between February 2023 - February 2024. The report provides several options for improving local "city-level" services throughout the Lower Russian River region based on an analysis of funding and governance strategies matched with community input regarding service gaps and needs. More information about this project can be found here: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/rivergov.