The Alexander Valley, north of Healdsburg, has the right climate and plenty of open space. To the west of Healdsburg, in the hills toward the coast off Dry Creek Road, there are ideal soils and climate for grapes, and lots of open land. But there is little or no water available in many parts. Water a limiting factor Water, in fact, could be the greatest single limitation to vineyard expansion. While vineyards don't need much water compared with other agricultural crops, most vineyards in Sonoma County cannot be dry-farmed.
More water is needed if sprinklers are used for frost control.
There are a lot of places that are not planted to grapes because there is not water available,'' said UC viticulture adviser Smith. And water is likely to become even more scarce in the future. The Association of Bay Area Governments predicts 110,000 new residents will arrive in Sonoma County over the next two decades, swelling the county's population to 560,000 people and intensifying demand for water. At the same time, the supply of water could decline, with federal regulators cutting water diversions to Sonoma County in an attempt to protect fish in the Eel and Russian rivers. However, treated wastewater from Sonoma County could unlock new areas to vineyard expansion, said Marty Griffin, owner of Hop Kiln Winery.