Napa Valley Register
Napa County approves Harcross winery after tackling water issues
“What we dream about is a small family winery and accompanying vineyard,” Basil Enan said.
Several neighbors said water pumped from a well for the proposed winery and vineyard might sap their own wells in an area where groundwater can be scarce.
“We have nothing to spare. We barely get by,” rural resident Connie Green said.
On May 7, the Planning Commission approved the new winery, along with an erosion control plan for the vineyard. But first, commissioners struggled with the water issue.
Commissioner Pete Richmond suggested dry-farming the vineyard and Basil Enan was receptive to the idea. Dry farming would reduce the property’s proposed 3.57 acre-feet of annual water use to 2.07 acre-feet.
“With the right rootstocks, with the right soil conditions, it can be done,” said Richmond, who founded Silverado Farming Co.
The commission decided to give the Enans flexibility. Instead of requiring dry farming, it capped water use from the well at 2.07 acre-feet each year. That way, the Enans could water newly planted vines to get them established while the winery is being built, then transition to dry farming.
Basil Enan told commissioners how the proposed winery came about. His family bought the property five years ago. His three children loved it, building forts in the forest, chasing turkeys and seeing how full of stars the rural night sky can be.
The property also has profoundly affected him, Basil Enan said. He left his Bay Area job, took a viticulture course, traded his sedan for a pickup truck and bought a tractor.
“I love Napa, I love Mount Veeder, and I’m proud to be part of the community,” he said.
The Harcross name comes from the street where he grew up, where his parents had a house always full of family and friends. The winery won’t be a hobby, but a place where he works hard for the next 35 or so years, he said.
A water study completed to meet county requirements showed the aquifer can provide enough water for the home, winery and vineyard. But neighbors who face water challenges expressed skepticism.
County farmer Peter Nissen’s family owns property near the Enans’ property. Nissen wrote in a letter that he has 50 years of experience working with wells in Napa County and he has major concerns about the groundwater study.
“The (Enan) parcel will be pumping water from an aquifer that has four wells just upslope from their parcel that have limited well water production,” he wrote.
Matt O’Connor did the water availability report for the project. He said the county’s groundwater study requirements are evolved and extensive, but it’s impossible to remove all uncertainty.
The report said Coast Range groundwater systems are typically complex, and available data rarely allows for more than general assessment of groundwater conditions and delineation of aquifers.
“Overall, I think it’s a good project,” Commissioner Megan Dameron said. “The tricky part is the water. I hear what the neighbors are saying.”
Commissioners considered requiring a longer well pumping test. But in the end, they decided a cap on water use would be the best approach.
The 51-acre Harcross property has grasslands and woodlands of oaks, madrones and other trees. The Nuns Fire of October 2017 damaged many of the trees, a biological report said.
To make room for the project, the Enans will cut down about a half-acre of oak woodland. As mitigation, they are to preserve 1.5 acres of woodland and plant 63 oaks, 12 manzanitas and 17 redwoods.
Northern spotted owls live in this part of Napa County, though a county report said none have been found on the project site. The owl is listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The Enans must have a biologist survey for owls before building between March 15 and July 31, and follow state Department of Fish and Wildlife recommendations.
Dry Creek runs within 1,300 feet of the project well. One concern mentioned in a county report is whether groundwater pumping could affect water levels in a “significant” stream.
The well is separated from Dry Creek by landslide deposits that limit the exchange of groundwater with Dry Creek surface water, a consultant’s report said.