Sonoma Water E-News | November 2022 |
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Water Supply Update – Drought is Still Here. Save Water. |
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The drought is still here. Water supply levels at Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma remain at historic lows. Water is a resource that our community shares, and it is critical that we all continue to protect and conserve this valuable resource. Sonoma Water and its partners in the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) urge our community to keep up the great work and effort – water saved now, is water we can use later. For water saving tips and programs you can take advantage of to conserve water and save money, visit SavingWaterPartnership.org.
The Sonoma Water weekly water supply graphic (below) compares current 2022 storage levels for our two main reservoirs, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino, to the average storage for this time of year.
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Turn Off Irrigation to Save Water |
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As we move into colder weather, remember to turn off your irrigation system! Watering your lawn and plants now is a waste of drinking water because they have gone dormant. The winter season is an excellent time to learn about indoor and outdoor water-saving techniques. This winter, there will be workshops to teach you how to harvest rainwater for the spring season.
Looking for educational possibilities?
Visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership website for water-saving tips and tools. Try the Water Smart Plant Picker page, which includes a list of Water Smart Nurseries as well as a searchable database of plants that thrive in our Mediterranean climate. These nurseries label low water use plants, making it simple to find water-saving plants.
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Mussel Prevention Program Celebrates 10 years of Mussel Inspections |
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Sonoma Water's quagga and zebra (Dressenid) mussel prevention program reflected on the previous decade of mussel prevention in the Russian River watershed and celebrated how far it has progressed since its inception in 2012. It grew from a small program with only twelve hours of inspections per lake per year to a full-fledged adult zebra mussel program with an average of 2900 hours per year.
Lake Sonoma inspections take place eight hours a day, seven days a week.
The program performed 46,000 inspections in the last decade, and two mussel-infested boats have been prevented from launching. It only takes one mussel to take over a lake, and one zebra mussel can lay one million eggs every two years in our climate! If that isn't enough to scare you, these mussels can survive for up to thirty days outside of water and will attach to anything that comes out of the water. Fortunately, our watershed was spared not once, but twice!
Sonoma Water is grateful to the Division of Boating and Waterways for funding this great program.
Funding of this project has been provided in full or in part through an agreement with the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW). The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of DBW, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation of their use.
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Join Virtual Drought Town Hall |
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Please join Sonoma Water and the County of Sonoma on Zoom on Thursday, November 10 for a virtual town hall to update the public on the drought emergency.
Experts will provide the most recent drought information and answer your questions.
Spanish and ASL interpretation will be available on Zoom. Questions may also be submitted in advance to publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
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Survey Coming for Sonoma Water Local Hazard Mitigation Plan |
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A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) forms the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses and break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. Sonoma Water will release an online survey next month asking for community input about awareness of natural disasters and the reliability of water transmission and sanitation facilities.
The planning process is as important as the plan itself and must include public and stakeholder involvement. LHMP’s are public documents that create a framework for risk-based decision making to reduce damage to lives, property, and the economy from future disasters.
Sonoma Water must update its LHMP every five years to ensure it remains relevant to current events and system conditions and to meet regulations set forth by FEMA. Staff will review Sonoma Water’s vulnerabilities and risks, as well as the prioritized listing of hazard mitigation projects. Sonoma Water is working with its stakeholders to prepare the mandatory 5-year update of the 2018 LHMP.
If you are interested in following the LHMP preparation, approval, and adoption process or providing input, you may do so through the LHMP webpage. All LHMP drafts for public review, staff reports, public hearing notices, hazard maps, etc, will be posted for public review on this page.
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Rainfall and Water Storage Update
Current water supply conditions as of 11/8/2022:
Lake Mendocino Target Water Supply Curve: 54,956 acre-feet
Current Storage: 37,566 acre-feet (68.38% of Target Water Supply Curve)
Lake Sonoma Target Storage
Curve: 245,000 acre-feet
Current Storage: 102,443 acre-feet (41.81% of Water Supply Pool)
Current rainfall conditions (10/1/22 – 11/8/22)
Ukiah:
Average (1894-2022 water years): 2.53”
Current Water Year: 2.14” which is 84.3% of average
Santa Rosa:
Average (1950-2022 water years): 2.59"
Current Water Year: 1.01” which is 39.03% of average
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Upcoming Events
The Board normally holds its regular meetings on Tuesdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will be facilitated virtually through Zoom and at Board of Supervisors Chambers (BSC) 575 Administration Drive 102A.
•November 14, 2022 BSC/Virtual
•December 6, 2022 BSC
Board Agendas:
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Fact of the Month
Weather-based irrigation controllers can reduce water use by 20 percent compared to conventional equipment, potentially saving more than 24 billion gallons per year across the United States—approximately equal to more than 7,000 hoses running non-stop for a full year.
Get more water saving tips at
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Employment Opportunities
Sonoma Water has job openings for people with a variety of skills and experience.
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Sonoma Water | 404 Aviation Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | SonomaWater.org |
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