The drought is on. Sonoma Water wants 20-percent reduction in Russian River water diversions

The primary supplier of water to Sonoma Valley, The  Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water), today filed a petition with the state to reduce its Russian River draw-off by 20 percent.

The move comes as the Russian River watershed is facing severe drought conditions. Both the Governor and County of Sonoma have declared a drought emergency for the area.

Speaking for Sonoma Water, Sonoma County Supervisor said the move is an effort to help preserve water in the Russian River watershed.

“Releasing less water from Lake Sonoma and reducing the amount of water pumped from the Russian River are critical methods to saving water for our communities and environment,” she said. “It is equally critical that our community implement water-saving measures. There is no water to waste and everyone in our community has a part in saving water during this drought.”

The outlook is dire, a consensus of elected officials and water experts agreed Monday in a zoom meeting convened by Rep. Jared Huffman.

“If you have a lawn, let it go brown or remove it,” Hopkins said today. “If you have a leak, fix it.  Reduce your showers by two minutes. Drastic times call for drastic measures and we all need to contribute to beat this drought.”

Recognizing that the request is partially being driven by low storage levels at Lake Sonoma due to the drought, Sonoma Water is committing to reduce its diversions from the Russian River between July 1 and October 31 by 20 percent compared to last year, along with several other actions.

Without the requested order, the upper Russian River of 75 cfs would drain Lake Mendocino by the middle of September.

As Hopkins describes it, “Sonoma Water is seeking immediate assistance from the State Water Resources Control Board to help preserve water in the Russian River watershed.  Releasing less water from Lake Sonoma and reducing the amount of water pumped from the Russian River are critical methods to saving water for our communities and environment.”

Lower minimum flows will allow for less water to be released from Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino.  The storage goal at Lake Mendocino is 20,000 acre-feet on October 1 (there is currently 36,831 acre-feet in Lake Mendocino).  The storage goal for Lake Sonoma is greater than 100,000 acre-feet on October 1 (there is currently 147,804 acre-feet in Lake Sonoma).

To read the full TUCP and learn more about the drought, visit www.sonomawater.org