Sonoma Veterans to hear about water storage project under their parking lot

The Sonoma Water Agency's $3.8 million project to reduce flooding, store excess rainwater and rehabilitate the riverine corridor of Fryer Creek is being explained before one group that sees themselves as directly affected by the project's engineering – the veterans of American Legion Jack London Post 489.

They will meet at the Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Building at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, with staff of the Sonoma County Water Agency, plus representatives from the City of Sonoma, to hear about the three acre-foot underground water storage system to be built beneath a portion of the parking lot for the building.

'I think you need to hear what all the veterans have to say about it,' said Terrence Leen, commander of American Legion Post #489.

The expensive, lengthy and potentially disruptive storage system will be constructed beneath a currently unpaved section of the parking lot – at the very head of First Street East, south of the Mountain Cemetery.

The City Council voted in December to approve the project as the least expensive of three options, though all three included underground storage of either three or six acre-feet.

Leen said they will meet with representatives from the city and county water agencies who will more fully explain the entire program, as well as the water storage component that is literally in the back yard of Veterans Hall.

Many in the veterans groups hold they didn't hear about the project until a public meeting in November, which a SCWA representative called 'a communication lapse.'

'Wednesday's meeting is not a public meeting,' clarified Barry Dugan of the SCWA, adding that its purpose it was to 'discuss the First Street West flood control project and the potential disruption during construction.'

The underground storage system would capture rainfall surge and prevent downstream flooding, but it necessitates ripping up the parking lot and digging a 10-foot hole for the storage chambers, then filling in over them and resurfacing the parking lot.

'The goal of our meeting Wednesday is to discuss the issues and hopefully resolve them to everyone's satisfaction,' said Duggan.

The City Watersheds of Sonoma Valley project focuses primarily within the Fryer Creek sub-watershed of the City of Sonoma, and includes not only narrow the First Street West culvert running from Depot Park about 100 yards toward the Plaza, but habitat enhancements along Fryer Creek upstream of Leveroni Road as well.