HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin 10-03-07 wkshp urban waterCITY OF UKIAH
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
UKIAH VALLEY CONFERENCE CENTER
Cabernet 1 Room
200 S. School Street
Ukiah, CA 95482
October 3, 2007
3:30 p.m.
Workshop
Urban Water Management Plan
Timed Item 3:30 p.m.
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Ukiah City Council met at a Regular Meeting on October 3, 2007, the notice for which
being legally noticed on, September 28, 2007. Mayor Rodin called the meeting to order at
3:45:16 PM. Roll was taken with the following Councilmembers present: Thomas, Crane,
McCowen, and Mayor Rodin. Councilmember Baldwin arrived at 3:54 P.M. Absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager Horsley, City Attorney Rapport, Community Services Director
Sangiacomo, Planning and Building Director Stump, Public Works Director Eriksen, and
Deputy City Clerk Brown.
Consultant Present: Bob Wagner, Wagner &Bonsignore,
2. REVIEW AND DISCUSS DRAFT UPDATE OF URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT
PLAN
City Attorney Rapport presented the item. We have received written comments to date only
from the Sonoma County Water Agency which they marked up directly on the draft plan
document. An itemized one-and-one-half page summary of those comments and our
proposed responses to them are part of today's packet, which were prepared by Tim Banyai,
Brown & Caldwell, who are responsible for the overall response for preparation of the Urban
Water Management Plan. A public hearing has been noticed for October 17, with the goal of
adopting the Urban Water Management Plan on that, or a subsequent meeting.
He introduced Mr. Robert Wagner, Wagner & Bonsignore, a hydrologist specializing in water
rights and hydrology related to water rights, who was invited to discuss how he arrived at his
conclusions regarding water availability, set forth in Section 3.10 of the draft plans. He was
also available to respond to questions from the City Council and the general public.
3:50:25 PM Robert Wagner of Wagner &Bonsignore stated he brought six items for
discussion concerning what Wagner &Bonsignore modeled and why, for which he provided a
handout. Discussion items included:
• What did we model and why?
• Future supply limitations
• Ukiah's water rights
• Regulatory constraints for perfecting Ukiah's water rights
• Management constraints and regional water planning
• Public Comments on Urban Water Management Plan
The model was intended to predict the impacts on the water supply and operations of Lake
Mendocino due to reduced Eel River imports resulting from the 2004 amendment of PG&E's
Federal Power Act license for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project as contained in condition
E-5. The model evaluated the hydrologic record for the period of 1961-2006. The 2004
amendments to the Potter Valley project license imposed new criteria curtailing the flow of
discharges from the Eel River in the East Fork of the Russian River Mr. Wagner noted that
there has been much concern and discussion about the impacts of the amendment. He stated
that the timing and distribution of the reduced Eel River diversions-when they would occur
and how timing would affect the water supply, is not clear.
Wagner &Bonsignore used historical releases to predict the impact of the reduced Eel River
diversions. The Army Corps of Engineers keeps good data on daily water surface elevations,
so Wagner &Bonsignore had sufficient information to determine inflow, outflow, losses, and to
predict the impact on the water surface elevation of Lake Mendocino. 4:06:31 PM
Based on his modeling, Mr. Wagner believes that the City has sufficient water to meet the full
20 cfs entitlement under its appropriative water rights permit, provided the minimum flows
required by State Water Board decision 1610 remain in effect. He noted that state and federal
regulatory agencies, such as the California Department of Fish and Game, could advocate for
changes in the operation of Lake Mendocino to protect fishery resources or for other reasons
which could impact the availability of water to the City. He noted the focus on siting new
groundwater wells and going forward with those plans is the best option for the City's future
control over its water supply. What the Urban Water Management Plan document draft says
doesn't mean there won't ever be shortages, etc. Climatic changes can happen -the City
should have a plan with good conservation -and use of ground water is a good way of doing
that. The contract for 800 acre feet of water each year that the City currently has is
considered by Mr. Wagner to be prudent insurance. Regarding discussion of siting new wells,
Mr. Wagner indicated he would find out how much of the 90,000 acre feet of water is
recoverable. Regarding the characteristics of the groundwater aquifer within the City Limits,
Mr. Wagner thinks it likely that Brown & Caldwell has already evaluated this, and he will check
to confirm what they have done that might be built upon.
Public Comment Opened: 5:25:39 PM
Cliff Paulin stated his concern for future surface water; he also referenced legal challenges of
overlying users versus non-overlying users of groundwater; and also made reference to gray
water studies about reducing the amount of water going into the wastewater treatment plant.
He also stated concern about the City's wells and their proximity to the Russian River.
Public Comment Closed
4. ADJOURN TO REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The meeting adjourned at 5:41:11 PM to the regular City Council Meeting beginning at 6:00
P.M.
Lin rown, ity Clerk
