Growers' frost fight squeezes water supplies

<p>The use of water by grape growers for frost protection during this unusually cold spring has taxed North Bay water resources, which are already so low that conservation measures will be needed this summer.</p><p>When growers turned on their sprinklers the morning of April 21, the Russian River dropped noticeably at Hopland and Healdsburg, where the agency measures the flow.</p><p>"It didn't drop a little bit -- it dropped significantly, a 30 or 40 percent drop," said Pam Jeane, the Sonoma County Water Agency's deputy director of operations.</p><p>The flow dropped from 230 cubic feet per second to 140 at Hopland, below the state minimum of 185 cubic feet per second, triggering a release of extra water from Lake Mendocino.</p><p>Lake Mendocino on Friday had 74,199 acre-feet, more than the 66,452 acre-feet at this time last year.</p><p>"It has impacted the flows of the Russian River, which impacts our overall system," said Brad Sherwood, spokesman for the water agency. "We have to release more water from Lake Mendocino when we see the river doesn't meet flow requirements."</p><p>The water released from Lake Mendocino then reduces the amount of water available for release during the fall spawning run of the Chinook salmon.</p><p>"It is extremely dry, and some form of conservation is going to be needed to ensure we have enough water in Lake Mendocino in the fall for our fish," Sherwood said. "That is driving our efforts, just like last year."</p><p>Growers also tapped into ponds and reservoirs, which could affect how much water is available for irrigation later this year, and they used ground water and reclaimed wastewater from Santa Rosa's Llano Road treatment plant.</p><p>"I have heard some people have used most if not all of their water for the summer," said Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. "Some guys have wells to replenish reservoirs, but some that are catching surface flow from winter rains, they are locked into a fixed supply."</p><p>There are 10 growers who have contracts with Santa Rosa for treated wastewater to provide frost protection and irrigation for a dozen vineyards, said Randy Piazza, Santa Rosa's superintendent of reclamation.</p><p>"When they were really cranking up, they were collectively using between 3 (million) and 4 million gallons a night," Piazza said.</p><p>Frost and freezing temperatures in March and April were a major problem for growers this year. Keeping water flowing over the vines protects grape buds from freezing.</p><p>Grower Saralee Kunde said she and her husband used sprinklers and reclaimed wastewater for frost protection on their Slusser Road vineyards 31 times in 37 days, resulting in a lot of sleepless nights, but little damage.</p><p>Growers have said that compares with a half-dozen times that frost was an issue last year. This year, frost has damaged as much as 15 percent of the Sonoma County crop and 30 percent of the Mendocino County crop, agriculture and industry officials have estimated.</p><p>"We know frost damage occurred throughout the county, but not at every vineyard," Frey said. "The impact on the yield you don't know until you see how the secondary buds grow and then you have to get through flowering -- that is the next big window."</p><p>Last year, the Sonoma County Water Agency was under a state order to cut back the amount of water it took from the Russian River by 15 percent, and in turn passed on the cutback to its customers.</p><p>The agency is meeting with its water customers Monday morning to discuss conservation measures.</p><p>Those customers include the cities of Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Petaluma, and several special water agencies, serving 600,000 residents and businesses as far south as San Rafael.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.</p>