Board of Supervisors to consider updates to Well Ordinance and Local Coastal Plan Tuesday

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider action on two important items from Permit Sonoma next week that could result in updates to the Local Coastal Plan and to the Well Ordinance.

Local Coastal Plan

At a public meeting on Tuesday, April 4, the Board of Supervisors is set to consider the Local Coastal Plan update.

The update to the Local Coastal Plan addresses changing conditions on the coast since the last update of the plan, including the need for:

• Adapting to climate change, including sea-level rise
• Safeguarding public access
• Protecting water resources
• Conserving coastal ecosystems
• Preserving agriculture
• Mitigating hazards and wildfire resiliency

The Local Coastal Plan update will address these areas while making the plan more modern and easier to understand and use. The Planning Commission Recommended Draft that the Board of Supervisors will be reviewing was developed as the result of an 11-month long hearing that involved nine public meetings and 35 hours of deliberation and public input.

The Board of Supervisors also held a workshop on Aug. 30, 2022, that provided the public with an additional opportunity to review and give feedback on the Planning Commission Recommended Draft.

The hearing on Tuesday will also address policy options requested by the board at the last hearing in October 2022. Those policy options span subjects such as agricultural fencing, expanded opportunities for new campgrounds, fire fuel management, reintroduction of sea otters to the coast and others.

If it is adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the update to the Local Coastal Plan will be reviewed by the California Coastal Commission and certified for consistency with the California Coastal Act. After certification, Permit Sonoma will begin implementation of the Local Coastal Plan by amending the Coastal Zoning Ordinance and Coastal Administrative Manual to carry out the new Local Coastal Plan policies. The implementation process will provide opportunities for public input and require recommendation by the Planning Commission, adoption by the Board of Supervisors and certification by the Coastal Commission.

The public may send comments, recommendations, and questions to PRMD-LCP-Update@sonoma-county.org, phone (707) 565-2404, or mail Permit Sonoma, Local Coastal Plan Update, 2550 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Well Ordinance Update

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will also be considering an update to the Well Ordinance on Tuesday.

To comply with a 2018 decision by the state Court of Appeal, the county will now evaluate potential adverse impacts to public trust resources in navigable waterways, such as the Russian River, before approving a permit for a new well.

On Oct. 4, 2022, the Board of Supervisors directed Permit Sonoma to convene committees to advise on proposed amendments to the county’s Well Construction Ordinance. The board also adopted a temporary moratorium until April 4, 2023, on the processing and approval of applications for well permits submitted on or after Oct. 4, 2022, except for applications for emergency wells. The moratorium was to allow time for the newly formed Technical Advisory Committee to advise changes to the existing ordinance.

Permit Sonoma formed both a Policy Working Group and a Technical Working Group to aid in development of the revised ordinance. The groups assisted in the development of a new framework for evaluation of environmental impacts during the review of permit applications for drilling new or replacement groundwater wells. Policy working group and joint working group meetings were open to the public. Nine public meetings were conducted between Nov. 17, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Meeting dates and materials are available on the Well Ordinance Update webpage.

The revised ordinance defines an area referred to as the Public Trust Review Area where available information indicates that groundwater pumping has moderate or high potential of impacting public trust resources. Within this area, additional review of well permit applications and water conservation requirements will be recommended. Visit the Well Ordinance Update - Online Viewer to see the proposed Public Trust Review Area. 

The revised ordinance also includes requirements for well meter installation and water use reporting of certain new wells. The draft proposal exempts existing wells and new residential wells from meter and water level reporting requirements.

To submit comments, members of the public may send an email to PermitSonoma-Wells-PublicInput@sonoma-county.org.

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Media Contact:
Bradley Dunn, Permit Sonoma Policy Manager 
Bradley.Dunn@sonoma-county.org
(707) 321-0502
2550 Ventura Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403