Devon's clippings · Clipped: Thu-25-Jul-2024 · Original:
pressdemocrat.com/article/opinion/close-to-home-tailor-state-water-rules-to-local-needs
Close to Home: Tailor state water rules to local needs
The state Water Resources Control Board recently adopted conservation standards that will require urban areas to use less water.|
Water from the Eel River flows over Cape Horn Dam at the Potter Valley Project. (CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / The Press Democrat)
MELANIE BAGBY
MELANIE BAGBY IS A MEMBER OF THE CLOVERDALE CITY COUNCIL.
July 21, 2024, 12:00AM
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and don’t necessarily reflect The Press Democrat editorial board’s perspective. The opinion and news sections operate separately and independently of one another.
Where the Eel River and the Russian River watersheds meet on the North Coast, the century-old Potter Valley water infrastructure project plays a pivotal role in providing water to the city of Cloverdale.
The forthcoming changes to the Potter Valley project — coupled with new, sweeping state water conservation standards — will significantly impact the water supply and how much it will cost to secure water for our community. These changes must be regionalized to meet the unique water needs of our community.
Melanie Bagby.
The decommissioning of the PG&E-owned Potter Valley Project — a 1900s-era hydroelectric facility that provides energy and water from the Eel River to communities south, including cities of Ukiah, Cloverdale, and Healdsburg — will significantly impact our region’s water supply and present a challenge in meeting residents’ existing water demands.
At the same time, the state Water Resources Control Board recently adopted new conservation standards that will require urban areas to use less water over the next 15 years. These new rules focus on long-term planning and set forth water budgets or performance measures for indoor and outdoor, residential and commercial water use. The intent is to lower water budgets in the coming decade to help communities develop more water-efficient practices.
Responding to these sweeping changes in how we receive and use our water will take time, come at a cost to implement, and may ultimately impact the bottom line for Cloverdale residents — especially those with fixed or limited incomes. These changes will also require our city to be more innovative in how we maximize our water supply.
Thankfully, treated municipal water will be able to help meet our community’s water needs and keep costs to residents down. Once seen as a waste product, treated municipal water is now recognized as a valuable resource in the rule-making process, providing an incentive to recycle water for landscapes, recharging aquifers and irrigating crops.
Urban water suppliers, such as the cities of Cloverdale, Ukiah and Healdsburg, face the challenging task of informing and educating ratepayers about the complex economic, technical and legal factors affecting the cost and reliability of water. For our region, any state regulations must be tailored to specific watersheds and community needs. Solutions must be nuanced and local, underscoring the seasonal nature of our water supply and the growing incentive to be more water efficient. Cities and water agencies must manage their community’s overall water use carefully and ensure the most cost-effective methods to protect ratepayers from the increasing cost of using less water.
But cities need more resources and a stronger partnership from the state water board.
The Water Resources Control Board staff should designate regional representatives to collaborate with cities and water agencies, provide technical assistance to streamline data and reporting and proactively engage with cities in community outreach and education. This collaboration is essential for ensuring cities can meet critically important water conservation goals.
Cities must have adequate resources and time to adapt to our changing climate, water supply, infrastructure and regulatory landscape to craft an economically and environmentally sustainable regional water plan.
We have the opportunity, working together, to move into a more water-efficient and cost-effective future. Everyone, including residents, local officials, state lawmakers and state regulatory agencies, must understand the watershed dynamics and unique water needs of each region. In this way, we will ensure each community has an adequate and affordable supply of water — ultimately, making our communities more resilient.
Melanie Bagby is a member of the Cloverdale City Council and the board of directors of the League of California Cities.
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