Sonoma County Water Supply Update

1. Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on April 27 declared a local drought emergency.  View the agenda item and proclamation. Read the press release.
2. Governor Newsom signed a State of Emergency Proclamation for Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Read the proclamation. Read the Governor's press release.  Read Sonoma Water's statement.
3. The Russian River watershed is in a historic drought.  The watershed has experienced extremely dry weather conditions this water year (WY-2021). A water year begins of October 1 and ends on September 30th of the following year. This is the second consecutive dry water year coming on the heels of WY-2020, which was also very dry. View drought monitoring data for Santa Rosa and Ukiah.
4. The current drought on record is 1976/1977 when Ukiah received just 16.12 inches of rainfall. As of today, Ukiah has recorded only 12.24 inches of rainfall this year, slightly ahead of 1976/1977 when Ukiah measured 11.27” through April 15.  On average, Ukiah receives 37 inches a year. In Santa Rosa, only 12.77 inches of rainfall has fallen this water year, just 3.30 inches more than the driest year of record (1976/1977) when Santa Rosa measured 9.47” through April 15.  On average, Santa Rosa receives 32.20” inches a year.
5. Reservoir capacities are lower than they were during the last drought, which was 2013/2014. View more data on this drought.  
6. Residents are encouraged to continue using water wisely and eliminate water wasting activities. Learn more water saving tips at savingwaterpartnership.org.
7. Water supply projections show that without additional rainfall and without aggressive water saving by our communities, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino water supply levels will reach historically low levels by October 2021. We will be able to continue to provide water to our customers, however not without some form of conservation requirements if projections come true. The State Water Resources Control Board has already issued letters throughout the region urging water right holders to reduce and conserve water. 
8. View more information about the current dry weather conditions.
9. Read frequently asked questions about the drought.

ResiIient Cloverdale Online Survey 

Help Resilient Cloverdale learn more about how social ties, community, and neighbors can assist during future crises that affect Cloverdale.

Resilient Cloverdale, a cross-sector initiative committed to advancing the resilience of Cloverdale and the surrounding community, is working with a research team from San Francisco State University to assess the role that social cohesion has played in Cloverdale’s responses to recent crises, including the Public Safety Power Shutoffs in fall 2019 and the Covid-19 shelter-at-home order that began in March 2020. This project includes a confidential survey designed to help us to learn more about how social ties, community, and neighbors can assist during future crises that affect Cloverdale.

They invite all community members to participate in the survey, which will take 15-20 minutes to complete. To participate in the Resilient Cloverdale Social Cohesion Survey, click or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/yt9tnmct

City Adjusts Irrigation Systems at City Parks 

Cloverdale Parks staff took immediate actions to address the Stage 2 water emergency. Parks staff reprogrammed irrigation controllers to reduce irrigation usage by 25% at all city parks and city maintained landscaped areas including L&L Districts. The focus of the irrigation strategy is to reduce water usage to meet conservation targets while maintaining plants and trees,  and keep playing fields safe for organized sports and public use. Parks staff will continue to coordinate with the Water Department and School District regarding watering schedules to minimize impacts on the City's water supply.