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Water-savers to be honored Thursday

The Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Basin Advisory Panel will recognize five Sonoma Valley water conservation projects at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in room 110 at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St.

The public is invited.

This year’s winners recognized for extraordinary levels of conservation include a resident, a water conservation coordinator, a family vineyard owner, an arts center and the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District.

The winners include:

• Nancy Taylor, a Sonoma homeowner who replaced turf with low-water using plants and constructed a rainwater harvesting system offsetting the use of potable water for irrigation.

• Shari Walk, an employee at the Valley of the Moon Water District who had made significant contributions in implementing water conservation programs and reaching out and assisting Sonoma Valley residents in lowering water use.

• The Mulas Family Farms, which voluntary installed eight wind machines for frost protection of more than 70 acres of vineyards. The machines replaced the conventional use of water for frost protection.

• The La Haye Art Center, which installed a living roof and a 3,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system.

• The Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District, for development, promotion and community outreach of “‘Slow it, Spread it, Sink it’ A Homeowner’s & Landowner’s Guide to Beneficial Stormwater Management,” which provides practical and eco-friendly ways to manage and conserve stormwater resources.

In addition to the award ceremony, the meeting will also include a briefing on the development of a draft plan to manage salts and nutrients in groundwater in Sonoma Valley.

The draft plan will include an analysis of existing groundwater quality, estimates of the amounts of the salts and nutrients that are going into the groundwater, and a recommended monitoring program and best management practices.