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20 WINES&VINES June 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Napa Fermentation Supplies is proud to be a West Coast Kärcher distributor since 1989. Our prices are the lowest and we have the complete product line available. We are also a Kärcher repair facility. Kärcher state-of-the-art high-pressure washers are distinguished by infi nitely variable operating pressure, water volume and temperature control, as well as precise chemical metering. Heated models incorporate a 90%+ fuel effi cient burner system, low fuel shut-off and complete machine shut-off at the trigger gun for maximum safety and performance. Contact us today! 575 ird St. Bldg. A Napa CA 94559 707-255-6372 | napafermentation@aol.com www.napafermentation.com G rowers in southern Napa County are toasting a n e w s o u r c e o f w a t e r that's a little more reliable than the weather. Earlier this month, the Napa Sanitation District celebrated the completion of nearly $50 million worth of projects to provide more recycled water for vineyard and landscaping irrigation. Napa's Soscol Water Recycling Facility is located on the bank of the Napa River just south of the city. The expanded network of pipes will enable the district to deliver more recycled water to more properties in the Coombsville and Carneros appellations. The Coombsville pipe was finished in 2015, and the Carneros project was just recently completed. Jon Stewart is a retired civil engineer and was the Napa Sani- tation District manager in the 1990s. After he retired in 2004, he became the president of the Los Carneros Water District and helped set in motion the process of getting a recycled water pipe- line built. Crucial to the effort was an agreement with the de- velopers of a nearby hotel and the Napa Sanitation District to ex- pand the size of a pipeline being built under the river to serve the planned hotel. A larger pipe could bring water to the Los Carneros Water District. "If we designed it and funded it, they would build it and take over," he said. "It was just a wonderful out- come. I was so happy about it." Once construction on the pipe from the treatment plant to Carneros was complete, work began in March 2015 on the 9 miles of pipe that would serve the property owners who voted to receive water. Stewart said the project received the support of 107 property owners covering 4,127 acres. Construction on the pipe finished in March. The dis- trict can receive 1,300 acre feet of water per year. The project cost $16 million, with construction amounting to $10.5 million. About 45% of the total cost was covered by grants. Stewart said the district was able to get a low-interest loan from the state water board—and be- cause of the grants and few extra costs during construction, the per-acre assessment for property owners may be around $120. "We've done really well for a bunch of volunteers," he said. Using recycled wastewater for irrigation may require grow- ers to pay more attention to ni- trogen and salt levels in the soil, but Jennifer Thomson, who is a f o u r t h - g e n e r a t i o n C a r n e r o s grower, said almost any water source requires some type of ad- justment. "I would prefer to ad- j u s t r e c y c l e d w a t e r f o r m y agricultural applications—which in my opinion is actually nearing potable water standards—than have no water." —Andrew Adams Recycled Water Now an Option for Napa Vineyards Purple pipes like these are now carrying recycled water that can be used for irrigation throughout the Carneros AVA in southern Napa County, Calif.