Sonoma County Water Agency
Encyclopedia
The Sonoma County Water Agency (or SCWA) is the government agency responsible for managing the water resources of Sonoma County, California
. Established in 1949 as a special district
, it indirectly provides water to 540,000 people in the California counties of Sonoma, Marin
, and Mendocino
.
.
In Mendocino County
Domestic water customers include 280,000 residents of Sonoma County, 225,000 in Marin County, and 35,000 in Mendocino County.
s.
Although its board of directors
is identical to the county's Board of Supervisors, the Agency is a separate legal entity with its own funding. Since 1961, its board has had the right to sell bonds without voter approval.
Its administrative offices are located at 404 Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa: 38°30′42"N 122°47′1"W.
Sustainability Showcase Award. The award commended SCWA for their commitment to Carbon-Free Water by 2015 and for their use in innovative sustainability practices, programs, technologies and policies.
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
. Established in 1949 as a special district
Special-purpose district
Special-purpose districts or special district governments in the United States are independent governmental units that exist separately from, and with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from, general purpose local governments such as county, municipal, and township governments. As...
, it indirectly provides water to 540,000 people in the California counties of Sonoma, Marin
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
, and Mendocino
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
.
Russian River Project
The agency is the local sponsor for the Federal flood protection and water supply projects known collectively as the Russian River Project. It manages the Project jointly with the United States Army Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
.
In Mendocino CountyMendocino County, CaliforniaMendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
- Lake PillsburyLake PillsburyLake Pillsbury is an artificial lake in the Mendocino National Forest of Lake County, California, created from the waters impounded from the Eel River by Scott Dam. Elevation is with of shoreline and covering . Activities in the Lake Pillsbury Recreation Area include powerboating, fishing,...
and Scott Dam - Lake Van ArsdaleLake Van ArsdaleLake Van Arsdale, also known as Van Arsdale Reservoir, is a reservoir on the Eel River in California, part of the Potter Valley Project. Located in Mendocino County, north of the town of Potter Valley, California, the reservoir supplies water to users as far south as Marin County.The reservoir is...
and Cape Horn Dam - Lake MendocinoLake MendocinoLake Mendocino is a large reservoir in Mendocino County, California, northeast of Ukiah. It covers and was formed by the construction of Coyote Dam in 1958. The lake and dam provide flood control, water conservation, hydroelectric power, and recreation.-Recreation:Lake Mendocino is administered by...
and Coyote Dam (water rights shared with the Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District)
In Sonoma County
- Lake SonomaLake SonomaLake Sonoma is a reservoir west of Healdsburg in northern Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., created by the construction of Warm Springs Dam. Access from U.S. Route 101 is by way of Dry Creek Road from Healdsburg....
and Warm Springs Dam - Santa Rosa Creek ReservoirSanta Rosa Creek ReservoirSanta Rosa Creek Reservoir is a reservoir in Spring Lake Regional Park in the city of Santa Rosa, California, U.S.A.. It is impounded by an earthen dam built in 1963 and owned by the Sonoma County Water Agency.-See also:*Lake Ralphine...
Transport
- Russian RiverRussian River (California)The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
- Dry Creek
- Santa Rosa Aqueduct - completed in 1959, 15.6 miles (25.1 km) long
- Petaluma Aqueduct - completed in 1962
- Forestville Aqueduct - completed in 1962
- Sonoma Aqueduct - completed in 1965
- Oakmont Pipeline
Customers
The Agency sells water directly to nine municipalities and water districts in two counties:- CotatiCotati, CaliforniaCotati is an incorporated city in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., located about north of San Francisco in the 101 corridor between Rohnert Park and Petaluma....
- North Marin Water District (serving NovatoNovato, CaliforniaNovato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
and environs) - Marin Municipal Water DistrictMarin Municipal Water DistrictThe Marin Municipal Water District is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district...
(serving southern Marin County) - PetalumaPetaluma, CaliforniaPetaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
- Rohnert ParkRohnert Park, CaliforniaRohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2010 United States Census was 40,971. It is an early planned city, modeled directly after Levittown, New York and Levittown, Pennsylvania. Rohnert Park is the...
- Santa RosaSanta Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
- City of SonomaSonoma, CaliforniaSonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
- Valley of the Moon Water District
- WindsorWindsor, CaliforniaWindsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 26,801 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:Windsor is located on U.S. Route 101 in the Russian River valley, about southeast of Healdsburg, California....
Domestic water customers include 280,000 residents of Sonoma County, 225,000 in Marin County, and 35,000 in Mendocino County.
Organization
Formed on October 1, 1949 by Chapter 994 of the California Statues of 1949, the Agency was originally called the Sonoma County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. It has grown with the region it serves and now has an annual budget of over $170 million and employs 197 full-time equivalentFull-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
s.
Although its board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
is identical to the county's Board of Supervisors, the Agency is a separate legal entity with its own funding. Since 1961, its board has had the right to sell bonds without voter approval.
Its administrative offices are located at 404 Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa: 38°30′42"N 122°47′1"W.
Awards
In 2009 the Sonoma County Water Agency was honored with the California Sustainability Alliance'sCalifornia Sustainability Alliance
The California Sustainability Alliance is an organization funded by the California IOUs to bring together key stakeholders needed to overcome the obstacles of sustainability. The Alliance was designed in 2008 to help meet the State’s aggressive climate, energy and other resource and environmental...
Sustainability Showcase Award. The award commended SCWA for their commitment to Carbon-Free Water by 2015 and for their use in innovative sustainability practices, programs, technologies and policies.