June 5, 2026 — RIO NIDO, CA — The Russian River County Sanitation District on Friday celebrated securing $47,766,537 in state funding to repair and upgrade its wastewater system in west Sonoma County.

At an event at the Rio Nido Roadhouse in Rio Nido, State Water Resources Control Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel joined leaders from Sonoma Water and the communities of western Sonoma County and presented a check for the awarded funds.

“I congratulate the district and the communities it serves here in Sonoma County on the work you are doing to upgrade your wastewater system and protect your watershed,” Esquivel said. “We know that unmanaged wastewater is a major risk to the health of streams and rivers, especially in a warming climate, which is one reason the state has made improving wastewater infrastructure amongst its top funding priorities. Under the Newsom administration, the State Water Board has invested $12 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure statewide to help communities improve their systems and prepare for the future.”

The funding comes through the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and will be provided as a construction loan with full principal forgiveness, meaning it does not have to be repaid.

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund supports projects that protect water quality and public health. Priority is given to projects that fix system violations, reduce the risk of overflows and serve disadvantaged communities. An income survey completed in 2024 confirmed the district qualifies as a disadvantaged community, making the project eligible for full principal forgiveness.

“West County communities rely on this system every day, and these upgrades are essential to keeping it working safely and reliably,” said Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins. “This investment supports environmental protection, the long-term sustainability of service in the Russian River area and eases the financial burden on the ratepayers.”

The investment will support the district’s Headworks, Lift Stations and Force Main Project, which is designed to reduce the risk of sewer overflows and improve reliability.

The project will upgrade essential parts of the system that collect, convey and treat wastewater. It will improve the treatment plant headworks where large debris and grit are removed before treatment begins, replace mechanical and electrical equipment at 11 lift stations that collect and then pump wastewater from lower to higher elevations and replace or rehabilitate three force mains which convey pressurized wastewater from the lift stations to the collection system or the treatment plant. The work will address aging pipes and equipment, reduce damage from corrosion and enhance the system to better withstand earthquakes in an area with high liquefaction risk.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2030. For more information, visit www.sonomawater.org.

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Media contact:

Stuart Tiffen
Public Information Officer
(707) 332-1223
Stuart.Tiffen@scwa.ca.gov