Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin Case Study

The Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin is found in Mendocino County, in Northern California’s wine country on the Russian River Watershed (Figure 1). From the CASGEM Groundwater Basin Prioritization Process, the Ukiah Valley Groundwater basin was classified as medium priority (Resources 2014). Consequently, a GSA structure has been proposed in which it will consist of 6 members representing different stakeholders, and it will also contain a technical advisory committee. Following the formation of the GSA, the next step is to create a GSP, but before the GSP can be constructed a groundwater budget was developed to characterize the groundwater basin. The results from the groundwater budget will provide the foundation for the water management projects that follow and will provide an initial direction on how the GSA will advance in developing monitoring protocols and integrated water resources management strategies to achieve and maintain groundwater sustainability in the Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin in order to comply with SGMA expectations.

Water Sources The water sources used to meet the agricultural and municipal water demands in the Ukiah Valley Groundwater Basin come from surface water and groundwater sources. The surface water used results from the Russian River, Lake Mendocino, and from the Potter …show more content…
Both the City of Ukiah and Calpella County Water District provide surface water and groundwater for municipal water demands. Millview County Water District provides surface water to residential and commercial connections. Redwood Valley County Water District provides surface water for residential, commercial and agricultural purposes, whereas Willow County Water District provides surface water to residential and commercial connections. Rogina Water Co is a private water company that provides surface water within in its service