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1. Why is the City geo-locating drinking water and agricultural wells on my property?

The City of Santa Rosa is required to ensure compliance with state mandated setbacks from recycled water use from drinking water wells.

2. Who’s paying for collecting my domestic well information?

Santa Rosa Regional Water Reuse System is paying.

3. Who are you sharing my well information with?

The well information will be shared with relevant City staff involved in the process and with their consultants.  There may be instances where the data is used for compliance and informational reports to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board or the Division of Drinking Water.

4. When will I know when you are entering my property?

Someone from the City or Sonoma Resource Conservation District will contact the property owner to schedule a site visit.  Alternately the property owner may complete the form in the letter they received.

5. Will the location of the wells on my property be made publicly available?

In accordance with the California Public Records Act, Govt. Code § 6250 et. seq., the City of Santa Rosa provides access to public records, except those exempt from disclosure by law. Under Govt. Code § 6253 (e). The City of Santa Rosa does not intend to use the well geo-location for anything other than operational and compliance purposes and will not be sharing this information with the public unless requested. There may be instances where the data is used for compliance and informational reports to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board or the Division of Drinking Water.

6. What are the state mandated setbacks?

The well setbacks come from the State Water Resources Control Board Title 22 Code of Regulations, Article 4. Use Area Requirements.  A summary of the setbacks are listed below and further information can be found in the regulation 

1. Tertiary recycled water – 50’ from a domestic water supply well
2. Secondary 23 recycled water – 100’ from a domestic water supply well
3. Undisinfected secondary recycled water – 150’ from a domestic water supply well
4. No spray irrigation of any recycled water other than disinfected tertiary recycled water shall take place within 100’ of a residence or a place where public exposure could be similar to that of a park, playground, or school yard.

 

7. Can I receive a copy of the report generated about my domestic well?

Information obtained regarding your domestic well is available upon request.  Contact Heather Johnson at [email protected] or (707) 543-3472.

8. Will the City be collecting water quality samples from my well?

The City of Santa Rosa will not be collecting water quality samples as part of this project.  The intent of the project is to verify the location of privately-owned wells for compliance with recycled water use set-backs. The City has a robust well-monitoring network throughout our recycled water system.

The well-monitoring network consists of 15 shallow wells that are monitored by City staff annually to assess any potential impacts to the groundwater due to recycled water irrigation and biosolids land application. These wells have been monitored by the City for the past 30 years. There is no intention for the City to add domestic supply wells to this monitoring program.  

9. How often is the City required to map domestic wells?

It is not a requirement that the City map domestic wells however we are required to comply with Title 22 use area requirements and there is no way to ensure compliance without having an understanding of where the domestic water supply wells are located.