April 27 Program Summary

A member of the Sebastopol Sunrise Rotary and soon to be president of his club, Mathew Wittemen -- also a member of the State Bar and head of Agri-Business Sustainable Management -- began his presentation on groundwater with a reference attributed to Mark Twain.  Twain is reported to have said, "Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting."  Fighting alludes to the movie Chinatown, which was inspired by the California Water Wars -- a series of disputes over Southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1988, Los Angeles water levels dropped seven feet.  At that time, water meant life itself.  Surface water is connected to groundwater by a natural system of regulated flow.  Regulating land use, plantings and local control over groundwater resources will help insure against another crisis.   

Whitteman reports that in 2014, California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) becoming one of the last states to adopt groundwater management plans tailored to local communities.  Unlike San Joaquin County that is in crisis due to a 50 ft drop in groundwater levels over recent years, Sonoma County is blessed with ample water in the local basin called the Santa Rosa Plain.  However, if various groundwater localities do not develop regulations that controls use, the state will take over.  

The Santa Rosa Plain basin includes Sonoma Valley, Petaluma Valley and other areas.  A nine member group that creates an 18 member advocacy agency addresses a variety of groundwater issues.  A 75% majority vote is required for any decision involving fees and financial matters and a 51% decision governs other decisions.  The group is petitioning the State to redraw the Santa Rosa Basin groundwater boundaries to include the adjacent Wilson Grove Basin.

The group also intends to limit groundwater extraction and monitor the spacing and measuring of wells in order to achieve a sustainable yield of water and prevent salt water from degrading water quality.  A "voluntary" plan to put meters on wells, which had been previously developed and proposed, may come into effect at some time in the future.

The groundwater sustainable plan for the Santa Rosa Basin is long range.  By July 31, 2020 a plan will be adopted for the State of California.  In 2022 a sustainable plan will be implemented, and in 2040 plans will likely impact the Santa Rosa Basin.  A working group has been reviewing plans for the past 18 months. The first public hearing on approval of the plan will be held later this week.