The Healdsburg Tribune 3-31-2022

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City receives county funds for L&M Village Page 7 $1 at the newsstand

The Healdsburg Tribune Enterprise & Scimitar

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Our 157th year, Number 13©

March 31, 2022

Teen center creates a space for growth By Elsa Cavazos Staff Writer elsa@soconews.org The right ambiance and environment can help a student want to do homework — but it can also give space for relaxation and fun. That is what Corazón Healdsburg's new teen center is trying to do. The center, located inside of the Healdsburg Community Center, was created in order for high school students in the area to have a place where they can do homework, study or socialize. Diego Gonzalez, Corazón’s programs coordinator said the teen center was created to compliment Corazón’s FirstGen College Counseling program, which was created for first-generation students going to college for the first time. “Students have to maintain a 3.0 average or above. They have to be involved with the organization, they have to complete a certain number of hours of community service, etc. What the teen center is supposed to do is capture students that are either not quite there yet, or that don't imagine

By Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine Staff Writer katherine@soconews.org

Photo Elsa Cavazos

AFTER SCHOOL — Students attend a class put on by AVFilm at Corazón’s Teen Center, located at the Healdsburg Community Center in room 14.

See Teen Center Page 8

City lands $7 million grant for recycled water project By Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine Staff Writer katherine@soconews.org The City of Healdsburg will be receiving an over $7 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to add 4.5 miles to its municipal recycled water distribution network and expand recycled water deliveries, a big win for the city when it comes to building drought resilience amid another year of dry conditions. Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay announced news of the grant at last week’s city council meeting on March 21. “We heard back from the state that we’ve secured $7.1 million to support that project. We’re not going to declare victory just yet, but it is huge. It’s obviously a lot of money and it is a huge chunk out of the cost of that project,” Kay said. A municipal recycled water pipeline — often called ‘purple pipe’

Suspension on water right curtailments continuing through May 1

because of the lilac-colored pipes used — has been something that both residents and the city have been advocating for. The pipeline would provide recycled water to some city parks, the golf course, the cemetery and some public school athletic fields. According to city officials, the cost is expected to fall between $10 and $15 million. Federal grant matches range from 25% to 30%. City staff submitted additional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant applications in February and are waiting to hear back. “We continue to be aggressive with FEMA. My hope is that we’ll secure the balance of the funds through that source. Every time we get a dollar for this project we get a little more competitive for other dollars,” Kay said. Kay thanked the Healdsburg Utility Department and utility director Terry Crowley for working

on the state water resources grant applications, “This is a big deal and a great success.” He said when they do get all of the necessary funds, it will be a complicated project and will take time — it won’t be ready for this summer’s predicted drought. In terms of other drought resiliency projects, the city is working on implementing aquifer storage and recovery wells (ASR). The wells are expected to produce 300 gallons per minute or 60 million gallons each summer, according to Kay. The expected cost to complete three ASR wells is $8.5 million. Federal grant matches range from 25% to 50% and state grant matches can be up to 25%. In looking at project progress to date, the city has completed preliminary well studies and found favorable conditions. If the city receives grant approval the next step would be to construct

exploratory wells. The city submitted a grant application with FEMA to fund a portion of the project with a 30% match and the grant acceptance is pending. A state department of water resources grant was also submitted. According to Kay’s report, the grant has been accepted and is currently under technical review.

City drought update As of the March 21 update from Kay, Lake Mendocino is at a storage level of 43,516 acre-feet, roughly up 1,000 acre-feet since the last city council drought report. Citywide conservation is roughly at 21% compared to 2020. Kay said they expect this summer’s conservation needs to range between 20% and 30% and some outdoor irrigation will be allowed, “albeit with limits and only

See Water Page 8

The State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights announced this week that the temporary suspension on Russian River watershed curtailments will continue through May 1. The decision was made based on current conditions and available forecasts and came following a small rain system that brought about half an inch of rain to the area. “The Division will reassess supply and demand conditions in late March, and update diverters for the status of curtailments for the remainder of April at that time. If dry conditions continue, curtailments appear likely to resume for certain right holders at that time. Please note that ongoing dry soil conditions and higher than normal temperatures could lead to localized water shortages,” the notice states. The temporary curtailment suspension was first implemented for the upper Russian River watershed on Oct. 22, 2021. The suspension notice came just a day after the division of water rights announced a suspension for the lower Russian River watershed. At the time, the division of water rights cited the strong hydrological forecasts and data as reasons for both temporary curtailment suspensions. The suspension notices came just two days prior to a powerful atmospheric river storm that hit the Bay Area and caused power outages, downed trees, road closures and flooding in some areas of Sonoma County. Division staff will continue to monitor conditions and reevaluate the suspensions as conditions and forecasts change. Per the division’s notice, right holders should continue to monitor the Russian River Drought Response webpage for announcements on the latest status.

Local advocacy groups rally for continued climate action By Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine Staff Writer katherine@soconews.org Several local climate coalition groups and other advocacy groups convened at Plaza Park on March 21 to call for continued climate action and to thank the Healdsburg City Council for naming climate mobilization as one of their top priorities for the new fiscal year. The aim of the rally was not only to advocate for climate action, but to imagine Healdsburg in 2030 and to also make the link between the war in Ukraine and the United State’s dependence on fossil fuels, according to local climate activist Tyra Benoit. Benoit attended the rally along with people from the Sonoma County Climate Mobilization group, Indivisible Healdsburg, Healdsburg Community for Sustainable Solutions, Sunrise and We are Talking (about Climate Change)

See Climate Page 8

Photo Katherine Minkiewicz-Martine

GREEN RALLY — Local climate groups met at the Healdsburg Plaza to rally for continued climate action.

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