Supervisor Susan Gorin to host meeting on Sonoma Valley water supply

Sonoma Valley's water supply will be the focus of a Monday meeting hosted by 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin.

Declining groundwater supplies and saline intruding from the south end of Sonoma Valley, among other factors, are placing pressure on the valley's supply.

Also, another source of the area's water, the Russian River, has been impacted by measures to protect endangered fish. River water furnishes 95 percent of the city of Sonoma's supply and 85 percent of the Valley of the Moon Water District's demand.

"These issues affect all water users, whether urban, residential, business, or agricultural," Gorin said in a statement.

The meeting will provide an update on the drought as well as a five-year update on the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program.

The situation has led the county Water Agency to consider a 4 million gallon water detention and recharging basin at Montini Preserve, a proposal that some neighbors are fighting. While that specific item is not on the agenda, it seems likely to come up in conjunction with discussions of groundwater recharging.

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. Monday at Vintage House, 264 First Street East in Sonoma.