St. Helena’s Water: Navigating Challenges Today and Tomorrow
Water is the lifeline of any community, and in St. Helena that lifeline is being tested by climate change, population shifts, evolving resource availability, and a complex web of regulations. With so many moving parts—resident advocacy groups, county and state governing bodies, and overlapping rules—it's no wonder this topic is difficult for us, the residents, to fully grasp. In this blog, we will explore St. Helena’s water situation in both tactical (1-5 years) and strategic (5-20 years) terms, breaking down the data, trends, and headwinds and proposing alternatives to safeguard our water supply against a backdrop of rising temperatures, fluctuating population, and regulatory changes. This is a longer read, though I have attempted to substantially boil it down within reason, thank you for engaging.
Water Glossary: Understanding Key Terms
To help you navigate the complexities of St. Helena's water situation, I have compiled a quick glossary of key water-related terms used throughout this blog. Understanding these terms will make it easier to grasp the current challenges and proposed solutions for our community's water supply.
Acre-Foot (AF): A unit of volume used in water management, equivalent to the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot (about 325,851 gallons). This term is used to measure large-scale water use and supply.
Water Deliveries: The total volume of water that is distributed to end users—residential, commercial, and public sectors. This includes water provided for household use, irrigation, and other purposes. In St. Helena, water deliveries are used to calculate revenue for the water utility, as they represent the amount of water billed to customers.
Water Production: The total amount of water that is sourced and treated for use, whether from surface water reservoirs, groundwater wells, or other sources. Water production includes all water that is made available, including what is lost through leaks and other inefficiencies before reaching the end users. In St. Helena, water production reflects the total volume managed by the city, while water deliveries represent the portion that reaches consumers.
Safe Yield: The maximum quantity of water that can be sustainably extracted from a water source (such as a reservoir or aquifer) without causing long-term depletion. It reflects what is available for use under current conditions, factoring in climate and environmental changes.
Stonebridge Wells: A key groundwater source for St. Helena, located near the Napa River. These wells are likely to face restrictions due to environmental regulations aimed at protecting local ecosystems.
Water Neutrality Policy: A policy aimed at ensuring that any new development does not increase overall water demand. Developers may be required to offset their water use by contributing to conservation projects or upgrading existing infrastructure.
Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs): Projects aimed at improving public infrastructure, such as replacing old water pipes or modernizing outdated systems. Grouping similar CIPs into a cohesive program can help reduce costs and improve project efficiency.
Regional Water District: A collaborative governance structure involving multiple municipalities or agencies that share and manage water resources collectively. Joining a regional water district could help St. Helena achieve greater efficiencies and better water security.
Recycled Water: Water that has been treated for reuse in non-potable applications like irrigation or industrial uses, helping to conserve potable (drinkable) water supplies.
The Tactical Water Situation (1-5 Years): Managing Resources and Rates
In the short term, St. Helena’s water situation is about managing our available sustainable yield while addressing our declining water deliveries and stabilizing our water utility rates. Water production and delivery data from recent years tell a clear story: both water usage and the number of residents has declined, while financial pressures on the city’s water infrastructure have only grown.
Conservation Efforts Driving Change
Between 2019 and 2023, St. Helena's population dropped from 6,034 to 5,272—a decline of roughly 12.6%. This population loss would, by itself, only account for a 36 Acre Foot (AF) reduction in water demand. However, water deliveries during the same period dropped much more significantly, from 1,429 acre-feet (AF) in FY 2019 to 950 estimated AF in FY 2023—a 479 AF reduction.
Much of this reduction—443 AF—is due to conservation efforts undertaken by St. Helena residents. Faced with droughts and increasing water scarcity, the community made substantial changes, from replacing lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping to installing water-efficient fixtures and adopting careful water use habits.
Safe Yield and the Need for Careful Management
St. Helena’s new 2024 safe yield proposal from Yost Consulting is 1,666 AF, with a net safe yield of 1,433 AF after accounting for losses such as leaks and faulty meters. This is a reduction from the current adopted 1,950 AF safe yield and reflects a more cautious & conservative approach, considering increasing temperatures and evaporation leading to less water retention, reduced annual rainfall due to changing climate conditions, and likely incoming restrictions on groundwater use introduced by the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), particularly affecting the Stonebridge Wells, which have historically provided 400 AF annually.
With water deliveries in FY 2023 totaling 950 estimated AF, St. Helena is operating comfortably within its current yield limits. However, nearly 15% of produced water is lost each year to leaks and outdated infrastructure. Reducing these losses is a critical short-term goal, as it will maximize the efficiency of the city's available water supply without increasing production.
Financial Implications: Rising Rates and Revenue Gaps
Approximately 60% of St. Helena's water rate revenue is generated from water deliveries. As water deliveries have declined, this has directly impacted the financial health of the city's water utility, leading to the need for significant rate increases to cover fixed infrastructure and operational costs. The 2023 rate study projected water deliveries at 1,300 AF, but actual usage is closer to 950 AF, which means an additional rate increase of 10%-19% is likely, depending on how accurately future deliveries match projections.
Our tactical water issue isn’t about having too little water—in fact, our challenge lies in insufficient water deliveries, which directly impacts revenue. To stabilize rates in the short term, the city should focus on increasing the number of ratepayers and boosting water deliveries. Greater water deliveries will help stabilize utility rates, and the city has enough capacity to accommodate this demand, even under the conservative reduced safe yield estimate of 1,666 AF.
Another key action is modernizing infrastructure projects. The city must urgently address the issue of leaking pipes and outdated water infrastructure to reduce unaccounted-for water losses. By grouping similar Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) into a cohesive program using modern project management methodologies as an alternative to one project per CIP, St. Helena can potentially be more effective and efficient in addressing infrastructure challenges. By bundling similar projects—such as the replacement of old pipes and key infrastructure improvements—into a single, managed program run by a qualified program manager, the city can achieve economies of scale. Going out to bid for multiple CIPs as part of a broader infrastructure program will likely attract more competitive bids, reduce costs, and allow projects to be completed faster by minimizing the number of vendors and overhead.
Stonebridge Well
The city must also address the potential reduction in groundwater availability from the Stonebridge Wells, which are located close to the Napa River and are likely to face restrictions due to environmental concerns over the next few years. To compensate for the likely reduction in yield from Stonebridge Wells, St. Helena should begin the process of developing a new well located farther west, away from the Napa River and environmentally sensitive areas. This new well would help diversify the city’s groundwater supply, reducing dependence on the Stonebridge Well, and mitigating the risk of severe water shortages if Stonebridge is limited or shut down during critical times.
Rethinking Water Rates for Fairness and Resilience
As St. Helena faces declining water deliveries and rising operational costs, it's clear that our current water rate structure could potentially benefit from a new approach. To ensure fairness and financial stability, we should consider adopting a water pricing model that balances affordability with the need for a resilient revenue stream. This could include a tiered pricing system, where essential use is kept affordable, and higher rates are applied to non-essential consumption, encouraging conservation. Adding a more balanced combination of fixed charges for stable income and variable rates for water use would also help secure long-term financial resilience, enabling us to maintain and improve our water infrastructure effectively while ensuring middle class and fixed income residents are considered.
The Strategic Water Situation (5-20 Years): Building Resilience for Tomorrow
Looking further ahead, St. Helena’s water challenges require long-term thinking. The proposed revised safe yield is not just a reflection of what is available today—it is a prudent, forward-looking number that anticipates the continued pressures of climate change and regulatory shifts. To ensure the city remains resilient, a diverse and adaptive water strategy is needed.
Joining a Regional Water District: A Strategic Path Forward
St. Helena has an opportunity to address long-term water security concerns by joining a regional water district as proposed in the Napa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Water and Wastewater Municipal Service Review. Becoming part of a regional water district offers numerous potential benefits.
Joining a countywide water district could help St. Helena manage its water resources more efficiently by pooling resources and eliminating redundancies between the various small systems operating in the region. By joining a regional entity, St. Helena could benefit from cost efficiencies related to procurement, operations, and planning, which would be difficult to achieve as a standalone system. Larger-scale management can help in achieving better planning and execution of capital projects.
The regional water district would provide greater water security through enhanced resource management, shared access to supplies, and the ability to support one another during periods of drought or infrastructure failure. A regional governance structure can provide enhanced technical and operational support that small, independent systems like St. Helena’s may struggle to afford or access. By joining the district, St. Helena could gain access to supplemental expertise and technical support at a lower cost.
While there are potential challenges—including achieving consensus among participating agencies and adjusting to a new governance structure—the long-term benefits of regional collaboration and shared water resource management could significantly strengthen St. Helena's water resilience.
Additional Key Long-Term Strategies for Sustainability
Diversifying water resources is also crucial. Expanding the use of recycled water for non-potable uses, such as landscape irrigation, can reduce pressure on potable supplies. Capturing stormwater during wet seasons and using it for groundwater recharge or non-potable needs could help stabilize supplies during drought periods.
Updating the water neutrality policy is vital to ensure that new developments contribute to the overall conservation efforts of the city. Rather than allowing developers to simply install water-efficient fixtures, St. Helena should encourage contributions to larger conservation projects and use in-lieu fees to fund initiatives like recycled water systems, pipeline upgrades, or other water-saving infrastructure improvements.
The declining population presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Fewer residents mean reduced indoor water demand, but vacant properties still require irrigation. Long-term, St. Helena should aim to attract more residents, businesses, and hotels that are compatible with our water limitations under the newly proposed sustainable yield where practicable, while focusing on making existing water use as efficient as possible.
Building resilience into the water system through infrastructure investments, diversification, and regional collaboration will be key to adapting to future dry years or unexpected water system shocks. Ensuring redundancy in the water supply by reducing dependence on the vulnerable Stonebridge Wells and integrating into a regional water district will help mitigate risks and provide additional security during challenging periods.
Conclusion: A Delicate Balance for Today and Tomorrow
St. Helena's proposed 2024 safe yield estimate of 1,666 AF is a proactive response to the realities of climate change, rising temperatures, likely reduction in Stonebridge well, and evolving regulations. This conservative figure is forward-looking, aimed at ensuring the city’s water supply remains sustainable and resilient.
In the next 1-5 years, the focus must be on managing resources efficiently, minimizing losses, and expanding the ratepayer base to prevent unsustainable rate hikes. By upgrading infrastructure, grouping similar CIPs into comprehensive programs, and potentially relooking at how we calculated our rates, St. Helena can reduce project costs, minimize overhead, and accelerate the pace of necessary improvements.
Over the next 5-20 years, St. Helena must plan for greater climate resilience by diversifying water resources, joining a regional water district, and investing in infrastructure improvements. Collaborating on a regional level, leveraging economies of scale, and sharing resources will significantly enhance St. Helena's water security and ability to adapt to future challenges.
The story of St. Helena's water management is one of careful adaptation—balancing tactical efficiency in the short term with strategic resilience in the long term. By doing so, the city can navigate a challenging water future while protecting this vital resource for generations to come.
I would like to thank our public works department, Napa County GSM, and WASH for their valuable assistance in providing the data elements over the last several months.
What about the water we are purchasing from the City of Napa?