WATER BILL CREDIT PROPOSALS
One-Time Water Bill Credit
• Fund Allocation: $500,000 designated from the Water Enterprise Fund reserve balance for active customers.
• Interest Reserve Funding: Funded primarily by accumulated interest earnings in the Water Enterprise Fund, preserving planned capital improvements.
• Eligibility Cutoff: Active potable water accounts on or before July 31, 2026 (~2,400 active accounts citywide).
• Targeted Relief: Explicitly excludes fire line service, landscape irrigation, and standby meters to focus funds on daily potable use.
~$200
Estimated One-Time Credit Per
Eligible Account
WATER BILL CREDIT PROPOSALS
Ongoing Incident Credit Policy
• 48-Hour Grapevine Reporting Requirement: Customers log discolored water events on the St. Helena Grapevine portal (cityofsthelena.gov/grapevine) or via phone (707-968-2658) within 48 hours. • EyeOnWater Smart Meter Integration: High-frequency interval data retrieved from smart meters precisely measures volumetric consumption during the verified incident window. • Volumetric Flushing Offset: Billing credit offsets usage charges incurred while flushing private lines at 2026-tiered rates ($7.55 to $16.28/HCF).
• Sustainable Funding Source: Ongoing credits granted under this administrative policy will be absorbed by interest earnings generated in the Water Enterprise Fund.
UTILITY RATES & ELIGIBILITY
Account / Usage Tier 2026 Volumetric Rate Policy Credit Status Policy Rationale Tier 1 Usage (1–6 HCF) $7.55 per HCF Eligible Offsets domestic line flushing usage Tier 2 Usage (6–7 HCF) $15.21 per HCF Eligible Offsets domestic line flushing usage Tier 3 Usage (8+ HCF) $16.28 per HCF Eligible Offsets domestic line flushing usage Fire Service Lines Dedicated Fire Rates Excluded Emergency safety line; no daily potable use Landscape Irrigation Dedicated Meters Excluded Outdoor non-potable irrigation account Standby Meters Dedicated Base Fee Excluded Inactive / non-potable standby status
SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT
PROGRAMS
Water Filter Rebate Program
• Established Incentive: Enacted under Res. 2024-139 with $50,000 baseline from the Water Enterprise Fund.
• Residential Tier: $150 incentive for new filtration device purchase or replacement filter elements. • Commercial Tier: $300 (1–3 sinks) to $400 (4+ sinks, restaurants, HOAs), plus $300 replacement filter rebate.
• Current Utilization: 18 rebates approved totaling $2,700 through August 2026.
Property Damage Claims
• Formal Claim Process: Customers experiencing physical property damage can submit a formal Claim Form to the City Clerk.
• Covered Losses: Applies to documented damage such as stained laundry/linens or damaged water appliances.
• Independent Evaluation: Evaluated separately alongside bill credit programs for full reimbursement consideration.
QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION
Recommended Council Action:
Adopt Resolution Approving:
1. The creation of a one-time �500,000 Water Bill Credit Fund allocated from the Water Enterprise Fund for active utility customers who were on account on or before July 31, 2026, anticipating an approximate �200 credit per eligible customer account (excluding non-potable/standby account types).
2. The establishment of an ongoing reporting-based Water Bill Credit Policy for active customers who log verified discolored water incidents on the "St. Helena Grapevine" online portal or via direct phone call to City Staff.
3. Authorization for the City Manager, or their designee, to establish administrative guidelines to implement, calculate, and process one-time credits, ongoing usage credits, and damage claims.
METER SIZE BREAKDOWN
Meter Size Number of Meters Primary Usage Type
5/8 1,877 Residential
3/4 35 Multifamily – Residential
1 396 Commercial – Multifamily – Residential
1.5 51 Churches – Commercial – Motel/Hotel – Multifamily 2 41 Commercial – Mobile Home – Motel/Hotel – Multifamily – Schools
3 3 Commercial – Multifamily
4 9 Commercial – Industrial – Motel/Hotel – Schools
6 10 Commercial – Industrial – Mobile Home – Motel/Hotel Other Considerations
• Vineyard Valley has 2 meters (2” and 6”) that support 218 units • 129 new accounts were created from July 2025 to July 2026
METER SIZE BREAKDOWN
Classification 5/8 3/4 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 Total
Churches 3 0 5 2 1 0 0 0 11
Commercial 125 2 51 9 10 1 2 1 201
Dormitory 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Industrial 7 1 2 2 1 0 2 5 20
Laundry 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
LibrarySchools 1 0 1 3 5 0 3 0 13
Mobile Homes 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 3
Motel/Hotel 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 2 9
Multi Family 25 2 39 19 8 2 0 1 96
Multi Unit 40 0 14 1 0 0 0 0 55
Residential 1,676 30 284 11 10 0 1 0 2,012
Total 1,877 35 396 51 41 3 9 10
ONE-TIME SAMPLE
BILL CREDIT OPTIONS
Meter Size Number of Meters Bill Credit Total
5/8 1,877 �200 �375,400
3/4 35 �200 �7,000
1 396 �200 �79,200
1.5 51 �200 �10,200
2 41 �200 �8,200
3 3 �200 �600
4 9 �200 �1,800
6 10 �200 �2,000
TOTAL 2,422 �484,400
Equal Credit (option 1)
ONE-TIME SAMPLE
BILL CREDIT OPTIONS
Meter Size Number of Meters Bill Credit Total
5/8 1,877 �206 �386,662
3/4 35 �206 �7,210
1 396 �206 �81,576
1.5 51 �206 �10,506
2 41 �206 �8,446
3 3 �206 �618
4 9 �206 �1,854
6 10 �206 �2,060
TOTAL 2,422 �498,932
Equal Credit (option 2)
ONE-TIME SAMPLE
BILL CREDIT OPTIONS
Meter Size Number of Meters Meter Size Ratio Bill Credit Total 5/8 1,877 1 �165 �309,705
3/4 35 1.2 �198 �6,930
1 396 1.6 �264 �104,544
1.5 51 2.4 �396 �20,196
2 41 3.2 �528 �21,648
3 3 4.8 �792 �2,376
4 9 6.4 �1,056 �9,504
6 10 9.6 �1,584 �15,840
TOTAL 2,422 �490,743
Meter Size Ratio Credit (option 1)
ONE-TIME SAMPLE
BILL CREDIT OPTIONS
Meter Size Number of Meters Meter Size Ratio Bill Credit Total 5/8 1,877 1 �168 �315,336
3/4 35 1.2 �202 �7,056
1 396 1.6 �269 �106,445
1.5 51 2.4 �403 �20,563
2 41 3.2 �538 �22,042
3 3 4.8 �806 �2,419
4 9 6.4 �1,075 �9,677
6 10 9.6 �1,613 �16,128
TOTAL 2,422 �499,666
Meter Size Ratio Credit (option 2)
CITY OF ST. HELENA
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ST. HELENA,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A ONE-TIME WATER BILL CREDIT ALLOCATION OF $500,000 FROM THE WATER ENTERPRISE FUND AND ADOPTING AN ONGOING
DISCOLORED WATER INCIDENT CREDIT POLICY FOR QUALIFYING WATER
UTILITY CUSTOMERS
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the City of St. Helena owns and operates a municipal water system providing potable water service to residential, commercial, and institutional customers throughout the community; and
WHEREAS, recurring aesthetic discolored water incidents have impacted water utility customers in recent years, including disturbances resulting from seasonal reservoir dynamics and unforeseen distribution system shocks such as the July 19 main line disruption; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the inconvenience, disruption, and frustration caused by discolored water events, seeking to express meaningful support through direct financial relief; and
WHEREAS, the City is actively pursuing comprehensive long-term infrastructure solutions, including pipe cleaning and replacement, water treatment process refinements, and the replacement of the Bell Canyon Water Intake Tower; and WHEREAS, accumulated interest earnings within the Water Enterprise Fund provide reserves can primarily fund a one-time $500,000 customer relief allocation as well as future ongoing incident credits without compromising planned capital improvement budgets or baseline operations; and
WHEREAS, the recent deployment of smart water meters and the EyeOnWater monitoring platform provides high-frequency usage data that enables transparent and precise credit administration.
RESOLUTION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of St. Helena as follows:
1. Recitals: The Council finds that the above recitals are true and correct and incorporates them into this Resolution.
2. Authorization of One-Time Credit Fund: The City Council hereby authorizes and creates a $500,000 One-Time Water Bill Credit Fund allocated primarily from accumulated interest reserves in the Water Enterprise Fund.
3. One-Time Credit Eligibility & Parameters:
a. Eligible Accounts: Utility customers holding an active potable water service account on or before July 31, 2026.
b. Calculated Credit: Staff shall apply a target one-time credit of approximately $200 per eligible account on an upcoming billing cycle, weighted using customer base fees.
c. Explicit Exclusions: Accounts categorized exclusively as dedicated fireline service, landscape-only service, or "standby" meters are explicitly ineligible for the bill credit.
4. Adoption of Ongoing Policy: The City Council hereby adopts the Ongoing Discolored Water Incident Credit Policy, attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated by reference.
5. Administrative Authority: The City Manager, or their designee, is authorized to establish administrative procedures, publish application forms, adjust final credit distribution mechanics consistent with available funding, and process potential property damage claims resulting from discolored water incidents.
Approved at a Regular Meeting of the St. Helena City Council on September 9, 2026, by the following vote:
Mayor Dohring: __________
Vice Mayor Deasy: __________
Council Member Barak: __________
Council Member Spadarotto: __________
Council Member Diaz: __________
APPROVED: ATTEST:
________________________ ________________________
Paul Jamison Dohring, Mayor Andrew Bradley, City Clerk
EXHIBIT A:
CITY OF ST. HELENA ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY
POLICY TITLE: Ongoing Discolored Water Incident Credit Policy EFFECTIVE DATE: August 21, 2026
DEPARTMENT: Public Works / Utility Billing Services
1.0 PURPOSE
This Policy establishes standard procedures for evaluating and issuing billing credits to active City of St. Helena water utility customers who report verified discolored water incidents via the City’s online citizen engagement platform, the St. Helena Grapevine (cityofsthelena.gov/grapevine).
2.0 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
• Active Status: Must be an active potable water account holder in good standing at the time of the reported incident.
• Timely Reporting: The discolored water incident must be logged on the St.
Helena Grapevine during or immediately following the occurrence (within 48 hours).
• Excluded Accounts: Accounts classified strictly as fire service, landscape-only service, or "standby" meters are not eligible for incident credits under this policy.
3.0 INCIDENT RESPONSE & VERIFICATION
• Geographic Mapping & Flushing: Upon receipt of a Grapevine report, Public Works staff will log the incident site to identify localized mineral mobilization and dispatch staff to perform targeted water main flushing in the impacted distribution area.
• Customer Interaction & Water Testing: When warranted or requested, Public Works personnel will coordinate directly with the reporting customer to perform on-site water quality testing, verify turbidity levels, and provide guidance on flushing private household plumbing.
4.0 CREDIT CALCULATION & ADMINISTRATION
• Usage Window Evaluation: Credits will be calculated based on the customer’s volumetric water usage recorded during the verified incident window. Highfrequency interval data retrieved from the EyeOnWater smart meter system will be utilized to determine consumption during the affected period. • Credit Amount: Qualifying accounts will receive a credit offsetting the volumetric usage charges incurred while flushing private lines or enduring discolored water conditions, calculated using current tiered usage rates (tiered rates as of 2026:
$7.55/HCF for Tier 1, $15.21/HCF for Tier 2, $16.28/HCF for Tier 3).
• Funding Source: Ongoing credits granted under this policy will be absorbed by first by interest earnings generated within the Water Enterprise Fund.
5.0 DAMAGE CLAIMS & SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS
• Property Damage Claims: Customers experiencing physical property damage attributable to discolored water (e.g., ruined laundry or damaged water appliances) may submit a formal Claim Form to the City Clerk’s office for reimbursement consideration.
• Water Filter Rebates: Customers remain eligible to apply for the City’s Water Filter Rebate Program ($150 residential / up to $400 commercial) established under Resolution 2024-139 to offset filtration equipment costs.
City Council Meeting | September 8, 2026 | Item 13.3
Submitted by: Garry L Rose, St. Helena, CA
Dear Mayor Dohring, Vice Mayor Deasy, Council Members Barak, Spadaratto, and Diaz, Acting City Manager McCann, and Director of Public Works Leach.
Establishment of a One-Time Water Bill Credit Program and Ongoing Discolored Water Incident Credit Policy
The City Council and City Staff need to determine whether the proposed One-Time Water Bill Credit Program and Ongoing Discolored Water Incident Credit Policy in Item 13.3 actually meets the original goal. The central questions remain:
• Will this program meaningfully satisfy most water customers? • Is a $200 household rebate an acceptable trade-off for reducing Water Enterprise revenue by $500,000—especially when those same funds could be directed toward fixing the brown water problem itself?
These questions should be answered before the City becomes entangled in Proposition 218 and Proposition 26 implications, additional city attorney costs, and staff time required to design, implement, and administer a new credit program.
The program, as described, is not fully defined. The $500,000 allocation is only the starting point. The cost of the ongoing discolored water credit policy is unknown. The funding source—“accumulated interest reserves in the Water Enterprise Fund”—is not incidental. These reserves exist because water customers pay water rates. They support normal Enterprise operations and maintain required reserves. Using them for rebates will significantly impact already scarce Water Enterprise resources. Investment income is not free money.
A $200 rebate may help a few households, but the consensus is clear: this is not a substitute for fixing the problem. Item 13.3 should be respectfully withdrawn, acknowledged as a well-intended but misaligned proposal, and replaced with a properly designed program that compensates customers who were actually financially harmed by the brown water incident. The Water Enterprise should not be deprived of funds needed to resolve the underlying issue.
There is no practical reason to spend limited Council meeting time debating an item that is not ready for responsible action. If the Council believes the concept does meet the intended goal, then it should be delayed until a full cost analysis is completed.
Respectfully submitted, Garry L. Rose
1 Personal Comments of Christopher J. Warner
On Agenda Item 13.3, $500,000 Water Rate Credit Proposal, September 8, 2026, St. Helena City Council Meeting
The following are my personal comments on the “$500,000 Discolored Water Rate Credit” proposal on the City Council’s September 8, 2026 agenda. (Agenda Item 13.3). My comments are solely personal and not in any public or official capacity for the City.
As a threshold matter, I am not commenting on the merits of the $500,000 automatic water rate credit (estimated at $200 each) proposed to be provided to all St. Helena water customers regardless of whether they have experienced any water quality issues, water discoloration or any other change in water service.
Throwing $500,000 of Water Enterprise revenues collected from customers under adopted cost of service rates for no reason related to overall adopted, actual or forecasts costs of service and rates for the Water Enterprise appears to be a gross violation of utility cost of service ratemaking principles and the cost of service rate case and water rates previously approved and adopted by the City Council.
However, on these issues, I defer to the comments and recommendations of other members of the public, including other St. Helena water customers and ratepayers as well as members of the St.
Helena Water and Wastewater Committee and former members of the St. Helena water rates advisory committee which provided recommendations to the Council for the 2023 Water and Wastewater Cost of Service and Rates study and recommended and adopted cost of service rates.
The review of the merits of the $500,000 allocation and use of Water Enterprise reserves should not only include evaluation of the merits of using and reducing the reserves for this purpose unrelated to costs of service, but also the impact of diverting the reserves from use for other priority Water Enterprise projects and expenditures, such as planned pipeline replacement and improved water quality projects, that may exceed the adopted Water Enterprise budget, including the enhanced and additional water quality operating and capital expenditures identified in Agenda Item 13.2, and on-going capital and operating projects and expenditures that may require modifications to the overall Water Enterprise adopted budgets and emergency increases in water rates to fund the projects and expenditures.
These proposed emergency or unbudgeted uses of the Water Enterprise reserves for purposes unrelated to actual or forecast costs may also be needed for repairs and responses to emergency weather events this coming winter, including responding to potential extreme “El Nino” events affecting the operability and safety of the City’s water and wastewater facilities and services.
Based on the City’s applicable legal, budget, financial, ratemaking and fiscal policy requirements and without regard to the merits of the proposal, the $500,000 Discolored Water Rate Credit
2 proposal and draft policy appear to violate the following requirements unless reviewed and modified by the Council and public in compliance with those requirements:
1. Violation of Adopted FY 2026- 2027 Water Enterprise Budget and Financial Policy Restrictions on Reduction in Forecast Water Enterprise Reserves Below 10 Months (Financial Policy, Section III.J.4; adopted FY 2026 and 2027 budgets).
Without documentation and support for modifications to the City’s adopted FY 2026 and 2027 budgets for the Water Enterprise, the Discolored Water Rate Credit proposal would increase the authorized budget for the Water Enterprise by $500,000 and reduce the forecast adopted emergency reserves for the Water Enterprise by $500,000 below the forecast minimum 10 months required by the City’s Financial Policy and the forecast reserves adopted by the City in its FY 2026 and 2027 budgets.
The proposal argues that sufficient cash interest earnings exist above the forecast budgets to avoid any reduction in the budgeted emergency reserves or other budgeted expenditures for the Water Enterprise. However, the proposal provides no documentation of the forecast or changes in the overall adopted Water Enterprise budget and audited and unaudited financials for FY 2026 and FY 2027 that would result from the proposal or from other changes in forecast Water Enterprise expenditures and revenues since adoption of the FY 2027 Water Enterprise budget and the Council-adopted cost of service rates for the Water Enterprise.
More specifically, the proposal does not include any detailed and overall documentation of unaudited financials or updated financial results or forecasts for the overall FY 2026 and 2027 Water Enterprise budgets, expenditures, revenues, reserves and costs of service to justify the assertion that adequate surplus emergency reserve funds exist to support the $500,000 increase in the Water Enterprise adopted budget and reduction in the required Water Enterprise reserves below the forecast 10 months reserves for the Water Enterprise adopted by the budgets and required by the City’s Financial Policy and adopted Water Enterprise rates.
2. The proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy includes no restriction on eligibility for automatic water rate reductions, no cap on amounts or duration of individual customer rate credits for future water discoloration claims, no restriction on customer damage claims for the same water discoloration incidents covered by both the automatic rate credits and future rate credits, no cap on overall program costs, and no restriction on use of non-reserve Water Enterprise revenues to fund the unlimited, uncapped Water Rate Credits.
Despite the staff proposal’s estimate that the Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy will only cost $500,000 overall and is estimated to be limited to $200 per customer for the initial, automatic credits, the draft Policy in fact includes no restriction on overall
3 program cost, no restriction on individual customer rate credits or duration of rate credits for future claims, no restriction or waiver of customer damage claims and no restriction on use of Water Enterprise non-reserve funds to pay for the rate credits. (See Attachments to Staff Proposal, 1. Resolution - Discolored Water Credit and Incident Policy; 2. Ongoing Discolored Water Incident Credit Policy v1.)
3. The proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy includes no detailed, documented fiscal controls to prevent waste, fraud and abuse by customers, and no detailed, documented forecast of the administrative and personnel costs required to implement the hundreds of hours of direct inspection and review of customer applications for future credits; monitoring of the duration of customer eligibility, processing of individual customer rate credits and billing; and audits of program performance and controls.
The staff proposal for the $500,000 Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy includes no restriction on providing water rate credits to customers who have not experienced or reported any water discoloration, and no estimate of the costs of administering and implementing the individual customer water incident rate credits authorized beyond the immediate, automatic credits and changes in adopted volumetric rates. This likely includes hundreds of hours of administrative and personnel costs inspecting each customer’s water quality and usage; determining and documenting eligibility for each customer’s water rate credit; establishing and monitoring the duration of each customer’s continued eligibility; processing and billing of each customer’s individual, customized water rate reductions; continued monitoring of each customer’s continued eligibility for their individual water rate reductions; and internal fiscal controls on the water rate credits to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in customers’ claims and eligibility for the water rate reductions.
4. The proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy violates Proposition 218 and the City’s adopted process for changes and increases in water rates. The proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy also unduly discriminates against similarly situated water customers because it provides a special class of water customers with significant reductions in their water rates for reasons other than interruption of their water service while providing no similar rate reductions to other customers who have not experienced discolored, uninterrupted water service or whose discolored water service occurred prior to the effective date of the Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy.
The proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy would directly reduce the Water Enterprise’s tariffed volumetric rates adopted by the City after public hearing to
4 fully recover the Water Enterprise’s forecast costs of service. By so doing, the proposed Discolored Water Rate Credit Policy would create a new special class of customers and shift the forecasts costs of service from that special, new class of customers to all other customers, thus requiring a rate increase to all other customers in violation of Proposition 218’s requirement that water rate increases go through a formal public notice and hearing.
In addition, by establishing a new, special class of existing customers with separate rates applicable not only to the immediate, automatic rate credits, but also for all future “water discoloration” claims at a forecast cost of service of at least $500,000 using Water Enterprise reserves that are otherwise needed to be available for emergencies, the proposed Policy would constitute a material change in existing water customers’ rates, rate design, and costs that would discriminate against all other customers without public notice and a public hearing to consider public comments and provide the full documented, cost of service and rate design information and impacts required for adoption of material changes in rates and rate design.
Water Discoloration SH City Council 8 Sept items 13.2 and 13.3 I support Garry Rose’s concerns regarding the proposed $500,000 Water Enterprise Fund credit, and I support the methodical, evidence-based approach outlined by Joshua Parke.
I understand the desire to provide customers relief. But a rebate does not solve the problem. The City’s priority should be to determine the cause of the discoloration and eliminate it.
Joshua Parke has offered a useful framework: develop a hypothesis, examine the system data, identify the likely source and pathway, and then test it through direct inspection, sequential sampling and controlled hydraulic testing. He is not claiming to have proven the cause; he is proposing a way to determine it.
That is the approach I believe we should pursue.
The Water Enterprise Fund should be focused on solving the water problem, not simply managing its consequences. Apart from the significant Proposition 218 and Proposition 26 questions raised by this proposal, every dollar and every hour of staff time devoted to a broad rebate is a dollar and an hour that cannot be devoted to identifying and correcting the underlying cause.
A rebate may soften the burden. It does not remove the burden.
The longer the cause remains unresolved, the longer our residents and businesses continue to live with the consequences.
Our goal should not be to make living with discolored water easier. Our goal should be to make discolored water stop.
Daniel Hale
Agenda Report to the City Council
Agenda Section: NEW BUSINESS
Department: Public Works Department
DATE: September 8, 2026
FROM: Ian Dale, Environmental Serv Tech
SUBJECT: Receive report for FY 2025/2026 City of St. Helena Water Supply Update and Projected Water Demand.
RECOMMENDED
ACTION:
Receive and File.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION: • June 23, 2020, Council adoption of Resolution 2020-72 declaring Phase I Water Emergency.
• October 27, 2020, Council adoption of Resolution 2020-107 declaring Phase II Water Emergency.
• February 14, 2023, Council adoption of Resolution 2023-16 memorialized the end of the Phase II Water Emergency
declared by staff and effective December 2021.
• July 1, 2023, Council adoption of Resolution declaring the end of the Phase I Water Emergency retroactively.
STATEMENT OF THE
PURPOSE:
To provide data for current water supply and projected water demand.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None.
CEQA DETERMINATION: Not a CEQA Project (CEQA Guidelines §15378) BACKGROUND:
At the February 14, 2023 City Council meeting, a report was presented and discussion ensued related to formally terminating the Phase II Water Emergency via resolution since it had been declared as such in November 2021 and implemented in December 2021. The report detailed the criteria required to both declare and terminate a Water Emergency, most notably that the analysis was to be performed "after the end of the fiscal year" based upon the St. Helena Municipal Code Section 13.04.010.
DISCUSSION:
It should be noted that the 2011 Safe Yield volume of 1,950 AFY includes a 200 AFY increase
in the available water supply from the City of Napa (i.e. increase from 400 AFY to 600 AFY with an option to request an additional 200 AFY). The increase in City of Napa water was memorialized by Amendment No. 3 to the Water Supply Agreement between the City of Napa and the City of St. Helena via Resolution No. 2011-82 adopted on November 8, 2011.
As noted in the February 14, 2023 report, Tables 1, 2, and 3 below are the criteria utilized to determine whether the declaration of a Water Emergency is warranted.
Table 1 - Bell Canyon Reservoir Capacity
Month 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Nov 61.7% 84.0% 100% 74.4%
Dec 100% 84.1% 100% 100%
May 82.3% 98.9% 98.2% 96.4% 95.7%
Attachment 1, page 5 depicts the 20-year trend for Bell Canyon capacity. It is essential to note there was only one other time (Dec 2022 to May 2023) where the reservoir was 100% full in December and then over 90% full in May. This dynamic also occurred in December 2024 and May 2025 where the reservoir was 100% full in December 2024 and 96.4% in May 2025 and then again in December 2025 where the reservoir was 100% full and 95.7% full in May 2026. Additionally, it should be noted that the reservoir has been at or above 95% capacity in May only 6 times (2006, 2016, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026) during the 20-year trend.
Table 2 - Water Production Trend (Bell Canyon, Napa Intertie and Stonebridge Wells) Values in Acre-Feet, including through June 2026 for FY2025-26, as reported in a separate report on this agenda.
Source 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Bell Canyon 401 264 298 355
Napa Water 562 598 541 494
Stonebridge Wells 283 554 321 251
Totals 1,246 1,416 1,159 1,100
Attachment 1, pages 3 and 4 depict the 15-year trend for system water production between the three sources.
Table 3 - Water Demand Trend (i.e. Water Billed)
Values in Acre-Feet, including through June 2026 for FY2025-26, as reported in a separate report on this agenda.
2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Water Customers
Demand
976 1,032 988 961
Percent Loss
(Audit)
15% 15% 15% 15%
Water Demand 1,148 1,214 1,162 1,130
Attachment 1, page 2 depicts the 15-year trend for total water demand.
Attachment 1, page 6, the projected available supply in Bell Canyon Reservoir is approximately 1,686AF in June 2027, significantly above the 1,431AF threshold for declaration of a Phase I Water Emergency.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Not a CEQA Project (CEQA Guidelines §15378)
GOAL:
Goal 3: Pursue Water Security & Sustainable Management of Water Resources ATTACHMENTS:
1. Attachment 1 - Presentation COSH Water Update_FY25.26_
City of St. Helena Water Update
Attachment 1
By: Joe Leach, PE
Assistant City Manger
Director of Public Works
City Engineer
Public Works Department August 25, 2026 1
City of St. Helena Water Update
• Fiscal Year
water demand
incl. 15%
“system loss”
• FY2025-26 data
complete
through June
30, 2026
• Safe Yield (per
2011 study)
1,950AF
Last Phase 1 Emergency, 06/2020
2
City of St. Helena Water Update
• Fiscal Year
water
production
• FY2025-26 data
complete
through June
30, 2026
Last Phase 1 Emergency, 06/2020
3
City of St. Helena Water Update
• Combined
Water Source
Production since
FY 2011-12
• FY2025-26 data
complete
through June
30, 2026
Last Phase 1 Emergency, 06/2020
4
City of St. Helena Water UpdateLast Phase 1
Emergency,
06/2020
• Bell Canyon
Capacity in
May, November
and December
since 2006
• *Data complete
through May
31, 2026
5
City of St. Helena Water Update
• Bell
Canyon
Reservoir
Monthly
storage
• Projected
sufficient
supply
(1,686AF)
beyond
June 2027
6 Bell Canyon Water Storage Forecast
Assumes:
(1) Highest usage during non-drought
year (FY2019/20)
(2) 10" of Rainfall (Lowest Recorded)
City of St. Helena Water Update
• Prior to 2007 no City of Napa water was available.
• Post 2011, the City has an annual allocation of 600 acre-feet from the City of Napa with the option to purchase an additional 200 acre-feet per year. • The 2011 Safe Yield Report assumes limiting the Stonebridge Wells long term average of 450 acre-feet per year. Well usage has been averaging approximately 439 acrefeet/year for the last 5 fiscal years. • Despite significant staff turnover during the last several years, Water Operations staff continues to equitably balance the supplies.
• Bell Canyon has a projected available capacity of 1,686 acre-feet in June 2027, well above the 1,431 acre-foot level when the Phase I Water Emergency was declared in June 2020.
• It is important to note that the City relies on total water volume availability from all water sources and not just water levels at Bell Canyon to meet system demand. 7
City of St. Helena Water Update
Director of Public Works Recommendations:
• Continue to conserve Bell Canyon Reservoir water by minimizing water treatment operations at Louis Stralla and utilizing Stonebridge Wells and City of Napa water allocation, adhere to recommendations adopted in the 2011 Safe Yield Report and continue to post monthly updates on the City's website per action provided by the City Council at the August 25, 2026 meeting, Consent Agenda Item 10.4.
• Alert City Council of any changes to the City’s water supply and/or drought restrictions that may be set by the State that would impact the City of St.
Helena water customers.
8