Sonoma County winegrape growers pledge 25% water cut

Sonoma County winegrape growers in four watersheds have voluntarily committed to cut water use by one-quarter from 2013 levels, consistent with the required reductions for surrounding homeowners.

Growers on 68 of 130 identified vineyard parcels in the Mark West Creek, Green Valley Creek, Dutch Bill Creek and Mill Creek in the past four weeks have taken the pledge, according to trade group Sonoma County Winegrowers. That represents about 2,000 acres of land.

“I commend Sonoma County’s grapegrowers for leading by example with their voluntary 25 percent water reduction along these critical water sheds, as well as their forward thinking in collaborating with the business community, local government, and water agencies to help educate the public about ways to conserve water,” says Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore. “During this time of severe drought conditions, everyone in our community needs to do their part to help conserve water.”

The voluntary drought program includes water conservation and best management practices for water use in their vineyards. This is the latest effort by local winegrape growers to minimize their water use in response to the ongoing drought and collaborate with rural residents.

Over the past two years, Sonoma County Winegrowers have hosted dozens of meetings to educate grape growers on water conservation best practices and the latest vineyard innovations. These grower meetings also including leading experts, scientists, and others who educated farmers on ways to monitor and conserve water. More recently, the Sonoma County Winegrowers began collaborating with the local business community, regional water agencies and the State Water Resources Control Board to create a unique public/private partnership known as the North Bay Water Sustainability Coalition to help inform and educate the public about water conservation. As part of this effort, the Sonoma County Winegrowers began holding meetings in July to recruit vineyard owners along the watersheds to commit to these voluntary water use cuts.

“We all have a stake in preserving these watersheds. Water is our most precious resource in Sonoma County, which is why the grapegrowing community has spent years developing new water saving technology to conserve water in our vineyards,” said Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. “This commitment to water conservation is possible because of our winegrowing sustainability program and the wealth of best management practices available to participating farmers to minimize water use and maximize its benefits.”

Grape farmers in the county have been collaborating with scientists, researchers and leading universities over the past couple of decades to develop new technologies and innovations commonly found in many local vineyards. These include drip irrigation, soil moisture probes, weather stations and evapotranspiration monitors (measuring how much water vines use) to put a precise amount of water where and when it is needed most.

The trade group pointed to fifth-generation farmer Joe Dutton, co-owner of Dutton Estate Winery in the Green Valley winegrape region near Sebastopol, as instrumental in sharing ideas with his neighboring growers on water efficiency and in leading the drought pledge effort.

“Our family has been farming in Sonoma County since the late 1800s and we hope to continue farming for centuries to come,” Dutton said. “We are proud to sign this voluntary water reduction pledge, because it is important to our family to be good neighbor and preserve the land, the watersheds and the natural habitat that makes Sonoma County so special to all who live here.”

Grapes are highlighted as one of the most water-efficient crops. In a normal year, Sonoma County’s winegrape regions get 25–60 inches of rainfall, but grape irrigation uses only 3-6 inches, according to Sonoma County Winegrowers.

Sonoma County has about 500 wineries. Growing grapes and making wine from them provides the equivalent of 54,297 full-time local jobs, directly and indirectly, according to an economic-impact study the group commissioned in recent years.

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