Cloverdale Awarded $3.05 Drought Relief Grant

The City of Cloverdale was notified by the CA Department of Water Resources (DWR) this week that the City has been awarded a $3.05 Million in grant funding for Drought relief projects! Funding for the Drought Program was authorized by the State Legislature pursuant to the Budget Act of 2021 and its Trailer Bill, Assembly Bill 148.

The City of Cloverdale’s projects included in the DWR 2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program Funding application are as follows:

Meter Radio Read Upgrades: Replace and upgrade approximately 1,700 existing water meters to meters with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) radio read capability;
SCADA expansion: Expand the current supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system at the City’s treatment facility to integrate the City's potable water distribution infrastructure at 7 remote sites (Ritter Reservoir, School Street Pump Station, Del Webb Reservoir, Cherry Creek Reservoir, Clover Reservoir, Hot Springs Reservoir, and Vista View Pump Station) for a comprehensive system-wide SCADA system;
Replacement of City supply Well 7: Drill exploratory borings and construct a new Well 7 with a new well pump station and tie into the existing Well 7 piping and electrical infrastructure;
Rehabilitation of City supply Well 8: Install updated well equipment and a new well casing.

The total grant amount requested was $3,005,000. All of the project will suport the City's drought relief efforts.

Mayor Lands was delighted with the news. He shared, “During our times of drought, we need to be as efficient as possible in our conservation efforts. Due to this grant funding, we will be able to upgrade many areas of our water system to accurately measure usage and to detect any issues. We are thankful for all who helped Cloverdale with this grant.”

Here is the link to the DWR's press release:
https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2022/March-22/DWR-Awards-$180-Million-to-Communities-Statewide-for-Urban-and-Multibenefit-Drought-Relief-Projects

Drought Is Here. Save Water!

Water supply levels are well below the target water supply curve (see graphic below). The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership has launched a public outreach campaign to encourage water conservation in the North Bay. To support this message, we’ve adopted a regional tag line: "Drought Is Here. Save Water." Water is a resource that our community shares, and it is critical that we all protect and conserve this valuable resource.

These are a few of the water-wasting activities that are prohibited year-round in cities in Sonoma and Marin county:

Washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways or other hard surfaced areas with a hose. Use a broom instead.
Irrigation runoff to streets and storm drains from overwatering or sprinkler-overspray of landscapes.
Using a hose without a self-closing shutoff nozzle to wash cars, boats, or trailers.
Irrigating outdoors during and within 48 hours following measurable rainfall.
Using potable water in decorative water features that do not recirculate the water.

For additional water saving tips and resources, please visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership website.
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Drought Conditions for Sonoma County

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a map that is updated each Thursday to show the location and intensity of drought across the country. The USDM uses a five-category system, labeled Abnormally Dry or D0, (a precursor to drought, not actually drought), and Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4) Drought.

The USDM designated Sonoma County as D3 - Extreme Drought this week downgrading drought conditions from D2-Extrem. Under this designation, water is inadequate for agriculture, wildlife, and urban needs; reservoirs are extremely low; hydropower is restricted.

For more information about USDM conditions in Sonoma County, click the following link:
Sonoma County Conditions | Drought.gov

Parks & Recreation Department Weekly Update

Several critical vegetation management projects were completed this week as well as arborist request/irrigation leaks and volunteer related projects.

the City's two member Parks staff spent the majority of their time in the Cottages Landscape & Lighting District this week performing seasonal maintenance. The Cottages contains several open space areas, trails and several blocks of landscaping. Taking a proactive approach towards fire prevention, parks staff performed the mowing activities earlier in the spring, the process began with string weed eating around trees and fences followed by mowing the open fields with a large tractor this effort will continue in this district all through next week.

All City Parks sports fields were mowed to a designated height for High School baseball and little league and irrigation adjustments were made to make sure the irrigation systems are operating efficiently. City Arborist Hector Galvan also assisted with the 4th Street Reconstruction Project by conducting a tree assessment. A mature tree was interfering with alignment of the proposed new curb & gutter. After conducting a brief tree health risk assessment, it was determent that the tree was in poor health and the best solution was to remove the tree. Due to the height and location of the tree, Economy Tree Service was awarded the emergency tree removal contract to avoid any delays of the project.

Volunteers Perform Maintenance at the Cottages

A group of volunteers were organized to undertake a mulching project within the Cottages Landscape areas. The goal of the project is to add a nice layer of mulch in the landscape area between Hot Spring Road and Pepperwood. The volunteers are mostly Cloverdale High School students and Windsor students working to obtain community service hours require necessary for graduation Our student volunteers did a great job and learned some valuable skills too!
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RRWA's 2022 Water Awareness High School Video Contest

Calling all students! Help educate the public by creating a Public Service Announcement about how to conserve water in our community.

The Russian River Watershed Association sponsors a video contest for high school students in honor of Water Awareness Month.

The winning videos are then used as public service announcements and as educational outreach materials. A PSA, or a public service announcement, is a publication that helps change attitudes and behaviors by raising awareness about a community issue. You can create a newscast, animation, commercial, reality television show, or even a music video. Let your imagination go wild, but please read all of the following instructions carefully!

2022 High School Video Contest tagline: Water, there’s never enough to waste!

Submission Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15th, 2022

For more information about the contest, please visit: Sonoma Water - RRWA's 2022 Water Awareness High School Video Contest

Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program

Eligible microbusinesses invited to apply for a $2,500 grant!

APPLICATION WINDOW:
Opens April 1, 2022
Closes May 1, 2022 or until funds exhausted.

In partnership with Working Solutions CDFI, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) is pleased to announce the launch of the California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program, which will provide grants of $2,500 to local microbusinesses significantly impacted by COVID-19.

Grant amounts and eligibility requirements are set by the funder, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). The intent of this program is to provide relief to the hardest to reach microbusinesses and entrepreneurs. Working Solutions CDFI is a nonprofit organization administering the application and grant-making process.

Informational Webinars:

Monday, March 28, 12 pm - English
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Tuesday, March 29, 6 pm - Spanish
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Wednesday, March 30, 12 pm - Spanish
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Webinar: Learn How You Can Pay for Your ADU Build!

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 - 6:00 PM 7:00 PM

Are you a homeowner who wants to:

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If so, an Accessory Dwelling Unit may be the perfect solution for you!
REGISTER NOW for our nonprofit's FREE webinar with the Redwood Credit Union and our ADU Expert and ask them your questions LIVE!

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Presented by the Napa Sonoma ADU Center and Redwood Credit Union.

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Webinar Series: Climate Action for Jobs, Health, and Equity

The Climate Center hosts a series of webinars. In the midst of record-breaking fires, drought, floods, and extreme heat, investments will be required to ensure a climate-safe future for California. Creating a prosperous, zero-carbon economy for the state presents enormous opportunities, including economic and job benefits, community benefits through creating more equity and resilience and improving health outcomes, and through protecting our agricultural industry and restoring wildlands.

This webinar series will bring together diverse experts and policymakers to discuss how much we need to invest, what the areas are for priority for investment, and what returns can we expect.

For more information about this webinar series, click here