Sustainability

The Sonoma County Water Agency will be supplying its customers with Carbon Free Water by 2015. Carbon free water means that the Agency's water supply and treatment operations will be completely powered by renewable sources. The Agency's maximum peak energy load is 12 megawatts. All together, the Agency produces 10.5 megawatts of renewable energy from hydroelectricity (2.5 megawatts), three solar projects (2 megawatts) and biogas (6 megawatts). The Agency's goal is nearly complete with only 1.5 megawatts remaining to convert into renewable energy.

Solar Power - 2 Megawatts

Administration Building Solar Project: Two acres of solar panels have been installed on the roof of the administration building and on carports in the Agency parking lot. The solar project will supply about 490 kilowatts to power the administration building, which currently houses a staff of more than 100. The total cost of the project is approximately $3.1 million. The Agency received a $1.6 million rebate from the PG&E Self Incentive Program to make the project financially feasible. The project is part of a renewable energy program that meets more than 90 percent of the Agency's peak, summertime power demand for water supply and transmission, sanitation and administrative facilities. View the Online Press Kit for the Administration Building Solar Project.

Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup Sanitation Zone Solar Project: A 528 kW DC kilowatt commercial photovoltaic (solar energy) system came online in March 2007 that will partially power the Airport/Larkfield/Wikiup Sanitation Zone. The state-of-the-art system is made up of 3,312 Sharp 180-watt modules and one SatCon 500kW inverter, ground mounted in three sections on the face of a reclamation pond that serves the Airport-Larkfield-Wikiup sanitation zone treatment plant. The system performance will be monitored by a display kiosk for real time production measurement. The system will help reduce global warming by displacing over 32 million pounds of carbon dioxide and provide enough power to supply 3,325 homes over a 25-year period. The Agency received a $1.7 million rebate from PG&E. The total project cost was approximately $4.2 million.

Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District Solar Project: In May 2007 a 1.042 DC kilowatt commercial photovoltaic (solar energy) system came online that will partially power the facilities at the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District. Nearly five acres of panels, totaling 5,200 solar panels, have been built to meet at least a third of the treatment plant's power needs. The panels will rotate to track the sun in order to provide maximum solar energy. Feeding that power into the PG&E grid means an immediate one-third reduction in the total energy cost for plant operation and a future reduction of up to 30 percent. The total project cost was $7.8 million. About $2.8 million was immediately returned in a direct PG&E rebate. The rest of the money came from existing Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District construction funds. View a video of this project in action.

Sustainability Initiative

On February 28, 2006, the Sonoma County Water Agency Board of Directors authorized the Agency to take several actions to advance implementation of environmentally sustainable practices and promote adoption of sustainable practices by other entities in the area. The Agency has been working toward performance objectives that support generally accepted concepts of environmental sustainability.

Specific actions approved by the Agency Board of Directors to advance implementation of sustainable practices include:

Develop definitions and standards for sustainability consistent with recognized guidelines from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the United Nations.
Complete an evaluation of the Agency's progress toward sustainability with respect to benchmark standards and determine direction and goals for sustainability over the next 10 to 20 years.
Conduct outreach to local officials and leaders to build consensus on goals and help convene a summit meeting on sustainability.
Apply for certification as a sustainable water supplier through the Sustainable Business Institute.
Become a plenary member of the California Environmental Dialogue.

International Organization for Standardization

The Agency will set benchmarks and utilize International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 and 14000 to improve its measurement and control processes. The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISO's most widely known standards ever. ISO 9000 has become an international reference for quality requirements in business to business dealings, and ISO 14000 helps organizations meet their environmental challenges. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a non-governmental organization, is the world's largest developer of standards. ISO consists of approximately 150 national standards organizations, each of which is the primary standards body in its country. Learn more about the International Standards of Organization.

The Sustainable Business Institute

The Sustainable Business Institute (SBI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1994 by business leaders dedicated to bringing about increased understanding of, and commitment to, the concept of business sustainability worldwide. SBI educates the public to make more informed choices promoting sustainability within companies.

Learn more about the Sustainable Business Institute

California Environmental Dialogue

The California Environmental Dialogue (CED) is an organization of business, environmental and government officials formed to develop policy to meet the needs of a healthy environment and a sound economy while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the state's environmental regulatory system. CED members invited the Agency to participate in CED due to their current interest in multiple benefit resource management practices and the Agency's effort toward sustainable resource management. CED is a subsidiary organization of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CEEB) and participants in CED also participate in CEEB.

Learn more about the California Environmental Dialogue