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) provides a comparison of storage levels during 2020, 2021 with current 2022 water storage for our two main reservoirs, Lake Sonoma, and Lake Mendocino. You can stay informed about Current Water Supply Conditions, Drought Updates, Actions, and Information by going to: SonomaWater.org/current-water-supply-levels.

July is Smart Irrigation Month because that is typically when water demands are highest for irrigation.

When it comes to a home's irrigation system, routine maintenance is very important. If you have an automatic irrigation controller, make sure your controller is programmed properly and the settings are correct. Most controllers can be set for the frequency of irrigation, the start time, and the duration of watering. If a controller is programmed incorrectly, water is wasted through inefficient irrigation.

Here are some additional water saving tips:

The Russian River Watershed Association sponsors a video contest each year for high school students in honor of Water Awareness Month. The winning videos are used as public service announcements, helping to spread the message of this year’s theme: “Water, there’s never enough to waste!”

Beginning July 8, the winning videos will be playing before all movies at Boulevard 14 Cinema in Petaluma and the Airport Stadium 12 and Roxy Stadium 14 in Santa Rosa.

Follow Sonoma Water on social media platforms for the Saturday weekly premiers this July, Click on the icons below!

Please join Sonoma Water and the County of Sonoma on Zoom for a series of monthly town halls to update the public on the drought emergency. Experts will provide the latest information on drought conditions each month, answer questions from the audience, and explore key topics, including the impact of the drought on groundwater, recreation, water quality, agriculture and wildlife.

Drought town halls occur the first Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. through November on the following dates:

To register in advance and the town hall on Zoom and pose questions to panelists: https://socoemergency.org/emergency/drought/

Questions may also be submitted in advance to publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org. Spanish and ASL interpretation will be available.

The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership is a Sustained Excellence Award winner and a 2021 WaterSense Partner of the Year.

Last year, to support community water saving efforts during the current historic drought, drought kits were distributed at three coordinated “Drought Drop By” events held in Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino counties, outfitting customers with over 10,000 kits that included a bucket for saving water, low-flow showerhead, faucet aerator, 5-minute shower timers and more.

Check out Sonoma Water staff and view the WaterSense 2021 Accomplishment Report below!