lawn-irrigation-1Another $765,000 will help fund water conservation rebate programs in Sonoma, Petaluma, the Valley of the Moon and North Marin water districts, the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District and the Penngrove Sanitation Zone. Rebate programs will help residential and business customers pay for and/or install high-efficiency toilets and urinals, high-efficiency clothes washers, irrigation upgrades (such as turf removal and drip irrigation conversion) and smart irrigation controllers. Customers are encouraged to contact their local water supplier for more information.

Of the $2 million for the North Bay Water Reuse Authority, $500,000 will be used for funding the installation of an 18-inch, one-mile long recycled water pipeline from the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District’s treatment plant. The pipeline, which is currently under construction, will expand the District’s ability to serve recycled water to additional customers for irrigation purposes.

“This funding reflects the success of the North Coast integrated regional water management process,” said Rohnert Park Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie, Chair of the North Coast IRWM Policy Review Panel. “We've shown other parts of the state how to work cooperatively and be recognized for that.”

Environmental News

September 28, 2025

Ear to the Wild: The Belted Kingfisher - Gustav’s “Mechanical Bird"

In memory of Gustav Hobel. My friend Gustav and I used to live next door to one another on Sonoma Creek. The Belted Kingfishers would fly by, calling, with that ratchety kind of sound that they have in their voice. That’s why he’d call them the “mechanical bird.”
Belted Kingfisher 24120918989
September 10, 2025

BeautifySJ

When San Jose volunteers feel the need to clean, BeautifySJ is there to supply all the tools and services necessary to facilitate their anti-litter activism.
September 10, 2025

The Trash Punx

“We’re a group of people…who want nothing but a cleaner world!”
May 27, 2025

The 3rd Annual Food and Wine Awards Recap

An unforgettable evening that brought together food lovers, changemakers, and public media supporters to celebrate the best of the Bay Area’s farms,…
Mar 10, 2025

Bay Area Bountiful: Fisher Creek Women

A group of women environmentalists from Point Blue Conservation Science and Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority get together to plant native…
Feb 25, 2025

Bay Area Bountiful: The Worm Lady

From thermal composting, to worm composting, to compost tea we see Alane O'Rielly spreading compost and spreading the good word about sustainable…

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