Mark Twain said “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.”

With the rains hopefully tapering off soon, it may be time to turn our thoughts to the dry season and the possibility of overcoming the depletion of the aquifer in the lower Milliken-Sarco-Tulocay (MST) water basin.

I recently attended a meeting of the Groundwater Under Local Protection (GULP) for neighborhood volunteers, and downloaded the U.S. Geological Survey report that was prepared with the cooperation of the Napa County Department of Public Works after their extensive research and investigations of 2000-2002. The conclusion of this report is that there is a drawing-down of the water table in both above and below normal rainfall years. If left unchecked for more years without recharging or reducing withdrawal from the aquifer, water quality and quantity will undoubtedly be compromised to the detriment of property owners and vineyards in the area. The report concludes that “to achieve hydrologic balance that stops ground-water level declines, it would be necessary to supply additional water to the area.”

The lower MST basin contains more than 1,100 parcels; approximately 4,800 residents; and 11,000 acres, of which 2,369 are irrigated vineyards. The area is generally from the state hospital on the south, to the Sarco creek on the north (Le Grande), and from the city limits to the foot of Mount George, or what the USGS report calls the base of the Howell Mountains. Rainfall and some wells have been monitored for over 50 years, with increased participation and concern in the last 10 years. The aquifer is losing nearly 2,000 acre feet per year more than is being replenished, and water levels of wells are being, or will be, affected in time. It was that concern that motivated the DPW and the USGS to conduct and publish their report.

A proposed solution has come from the Napa County DPW under the leadership of Felix Riesenberg, county supervisors, and from the Napa Sanitation District that would benefit the residents, the sanitation district and the Napa River. By constructing a pipeline from MST through the state hospital, and then to parcels along the main roads in the area, recycled water could be used for irrigation instead of extracting groundwater during the dry season: April through October. The water pumped would be recycled, not gray water, and be 95 percent pure, with usage for lawns, vineyards, golf courses and gardens.

The cost of this project would have to be borne by the property owners in the affected area and would be proportioned by acreage and their access to the water, as would the vote on acceptance of establishing an assessment district. The primary cost will be the installation of the pipeline to carry the recycled water, with a usage fee that appears to be very affordable. It is anticipated that the costs will be paid over a period of 20 years.

If property owners move ahead with this project, the environmental documentation could be done by next February with a vote shortly after by the owners to establish a benefit district. Mid-2010 is the goal for design, advertising and bidding for construction to be complete by the end of 2012. Probably optimistic, but I am gratified to see the various county departments and myriad interests involved work together to provide a truly long-term solution to the water issue of this basin. It is also reassuring to see a grassroots effort by concerned citizens, none of whom would financially benefit more than anyone else, act together to inform their neighbors of the situation, and have a viable solution proposed by the county.

It behooves all the residents and property owners in the area under study to become involved in the process and voice their concerns and questions about the planning, costs, advantages and benefits to them. The USGS document can be accessed on line at http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri034229/. A vote will be made, of course, and should not be cast lightly.

Perhaps Mark Twain would be surprised to discover fighting may not be the only solution to water problems. Naturally, whiskey’s still for drinking.

(Hise lives in Napa.)