" The general plan states:
"It states that the county should discourage use of groundwater for purposes other than agriculture."
It is because of agriculture that throughout the County, we are having ground water problems. The massive expansion of vineyards in the last twenty years has over-tapped the water table. However, what has the County done to resolve the problem? They have put restrictions on HOMEOWNERS not agriculture. Vineyards continue to draw water without restriction and with the full political support of the General plan. This is another example of the County's disregard for the "little guy" and giving the vineyards and the wine industry free-reign.
The problem lies in agriculture. The fix should come from agriculture! "

" I agree with "informed". But I also think that "fix" should be across the board. Ag, commercial, industrial and residential. However, I do think that homeowners do get the brunt of the blame and burden. I can't count how many times I've seen lawn sprinklers running on a rainy day at a local business or winery. Also, by my home is one of these newer residential micro-subdivisions that has grass planted everywhere including the strip between the sidewalk and gutter. The sprinklers on those strips of lawn run all year round. Rain or shine.

Now I don’t like water restrictions just like the next person, but I am willing to do it (and have been doing it) if asked to. But as I said before, the restrictions need to be fair across the board. Our local and county governments need to start going after the “big boys”. The big offenders. The commercial establishments that insist on planting big, green, lush lawns and landscaping. I admit it is pretty, but there is a time and place for that, and when we are facing water problems, it isn’t the right time. "

" AB 2175 support it! "

" At least 20% of the residents of Napa County rely upon private wells for their water supply. There is no agency that advocates for their continued supply. The Board of Supervisors established water rules that provide details of permitting and restrictions on use but has not done anything substantive to insure continued water. As the article notes, a portion of the County, Milliken-Sarco-Tulocay (MST) is deemed water deficient; wells have gone dry and have had to be drilled deeper to obtain water. There does not appear to be a real effort to mitigate this problem.

Agriculture uses 99% of the ground water. The number of wineries is steadily increasing and the density of their vineyard plantings is increasing which will put further strain on all of the aquifers. There does not seem to be a policy to regulate how much water can be withdrawn by any entity. Will there be sufficient water to sustain the County’s number one industry and its residents? Past Grand Juries and the County General Plan suggest the aggressive use of recycled water as a supply for irrigation water. However, where is the plan? A project of this magnitude should be a candidate for the expected financial stimulus package being considered in Washington. "

" knightsbridge - Interesting comment about using recycled water for irrigation being a target for stimulous money.

I'm going to be thinkng about that!

Are you sure it's not 'socialism', or 'eco-fascism' to turn "water into wine"?

;o)

I know Jesus did that, and he was notable as the first communist, what with all that urging people to pay their taxes and share their worldly possessions.

;o)

Cheers,

~Ruff "

" I sat on the General Plan Steering Committee and these rules were implemented against the objections of some of the members because there is no evidence that there is any problem with ground water supplies in the valley at all. In fact, what evidence there is suggests a surfeit of water.

Water underground varies with location whether anyone anywhere is drawing it from wells. Coombsville and Carneros are naturally water deficient areas anyway. It does seem that drawing water from wells there has reduced that, but we cannot say for certain.

Changes in underground geography could have caused it for all we know. From a deficient well in Coombsville you can go 100 feet and find another well pumping plenty of water.

Finally the GP committee agreed that it would be ok to study it to see what we may find, but we warned that just studying it would raise the spector of uneeded regulation and expense for homeowners.

And with this editorial and comments, well, here we go.

This is happening not because there is any reason to be concerned, but because it is politically correct in Napa to do so.

Further, the wineries watering their lawns are undoubtedly doing it with recycled water. People in the cities don't use well water. "

" Oh, napablogger, you're breaking my heart! I was starting to have faith in you. Why is it that anything that has to do with conservation or sustainable environment is passed off as "politically correct"? I'm not in the valley, so conditions underground where I live may be an anomaly. But our well goes virtually dry every summer now (and we don't use much, have no grapes, no vegetables, very little in the way of vegetation except what nature has graciously provided). And we're in the middle of what has been termed a "severe drought". So why is it merely "politically correct" to be concerned about water supply? Vineyards expand, population increases, people keep watering their silly lawns, we have gotten hotter and dryer each year. (I know, you won't be convinced on that one.) But "politically correct"? That term has no real meaning, only implication. I'm concerned about our dry well, and the fact that the well drillers don't have much hope for finding another spot on our property that they can access that might yield water. I'm blaming no one, but I'm not worried in order to be politically correct. "