Rowing in the Same Direction
We all want safe, affordable, and reliable water coming from our faucets, feeding healthy local agriculture, and irrigating parks and sports fields where our kids can play.
Achieving these goals every day, through both wet and dry years, takes foresight, planning, investment, cooperation, and commitment. These recent years of drought have shown that reliable water delivery cannot be taken for granted. And so it's time for our region to take purposeful, coordinated action to modernize water infrastructure, water delivery, and water governance in the Ukiah Valley.
That's why the City of Ukiah, Millview County Water District, and Redwood Valley County Water District have agreed to consolidate their water systems into a new joint powers authority (JPA) called the Ukiah Valley Water Authority. The UVWA will merge water supplies and infrastructure to deliver water more reliably to residents and businesses throughout the Valley
here are three primary drivers for our region's unique water challenges: 1) governance;
2) water rights; and 3) infrastructure. The Ukiah Valley Water Authority addresses all three.
The UVWA creates a more coordinated, coherent governance structure that reflects local needs while accessing regional support.
At the same time, the Districts and the City will come together to provide different types of water supply resources based on the state's water rights system — together these resources will be stronger and more drought-resilient.
Additionally, the UVWA helps address disparities in infrastructure between the Districts and provide the pathway to upgrades and modernization where needed. The new Ukiah Valley Water Authority will be able to apply to the State Water Board for $40-50 million in grants to pay for the new infrastructure (including pipelines and interties, storage tanks, booster stations, and two new wells) needed to connect the region's districts.
Therefore, the UVWA is the clear solution to change how water is managed in our region—a new course of action that simultaneously resolves issues of water rights, infrastructure, and governance.
The status quo is not an option; infrastructure would have continued to deteriorate without heightened investment, and repeated cycles of drought conditions are increasingly making smaller districts' water supplies unreliable.
Yes, modernizing our region's water supply and delivery will require some compromise between agencies. But we've come together, pointed our bow in the right direction, and started rowing in coordination. The UVWA will ultimately help provide safe, affordable, and reliable access to water in all areas of the Valley.