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Six Sonoma Valley projects have been recognized for water conservation by the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Basin Advisory Panel. Among the winners are a school, a family, a nonprofit and several wineries.

The winners, which will be recognized at a Nov. 5 award ceremony, include: • Russell Goodman family: By installing drought-tolerant landscaping and converting to high-efficiency appliances, this family of four dropped water use from 3,500 gallons a month in 2007 to 2,000 gallons a month in 2009. By using only 66 gallons a day, the four-person Goodman family is far-exceeding statewide average per capita use of 100 gallons a day.

• Sonoma Valley High School: The school removed more than 13,900 square feet of irrigated turf through the city of Sonoma's Cash for Grass program, resulting in a decrease in water use of more than 30 percent in 2009 compared with 2007. • Sonoma Ecology Center: Through its long-time education of the public about the need for conservation, the Sonoma Ecology Center has indirectly helped save large amounts of water. Hundreds of Sonoma Valley residents have attended the center's Water Wisdom series of tours, lecture, workshops and demonstrations.

• Benziger Family Winery: The winery has reclaimed and reused more than a million gallons of winery wastewater through a collection pond and wetland system; it considers water use when matching varietal, root-stock and farming methods; and, recently, switched to a high-efficiency steamer for barrel cleaning and reducing water used per barrel from 22 gallons to two liters.

• Deerfield Ranch Winery: An early adapter of a bioreactor system for winery waste water that has now been duplicated by several other wineries, Deerfield Ranch is able to reuse much of its water for irrigation. In addition, the winery has a water retention and recharge storage pond to collect rainwater and allow for groundwater recharge during the summer. • Gundlach Bundschu Winery: The winery reuses 70 percent of all water through a collection pond and wetland system that treats winery wastewater, drain water and rainwater. The clean reclaimed water is then reused to irrigate grape vines, thereby reducing the winery's groundwater use.

"It's extremely exciting that everyone from families to farmers have taken up the conservation challenge," said 1st District Supervisor Valerie Brown, who represents the Sonoma Valley. "The award winners exemplify what people can do when they are committed to saving our most precious natural resource - water."

The Basin Advisory Panel, which was formed in 2007, has developed a groundwater management plan for Sonoma Valley. The plan includes 10 action items to protect and preserve local groundwater resources, including: Conservation, improved groundwater recharge, use of recycled water and groundwater banking.

"Conservation is a critical component of groundwater management. The less water we use now, the more we have for future generations," said Mark Bramfitt, chairman of the Basin Advisory Panel. "The award winners provide practical models for all of us to follow."

An award ceremony will be held at 4 p.m, Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma.

Residents interested in finding ways to save water in their home or business can receive a free water-use assessment, including water saving recommendations, by calling 547-1968.

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