ANOTHER YEAR OF DROUGHT
Lake Mendocino at 46% of target water supply
There are no ducks paddling around the south boat ramp at Lake Mendocino—no waterfowl of any kind—no geese stridently squabbling around the parking lot. That is, of course, because there’s no water all the way from the parking lot to the little island just to the east and way beyond. (From the loud and constant honking coming from the island, it appears the geese are hanging out there.)
The steps for swimmers to enter, usually covered in water, extend to a very dry lake bed, for a very long way, and the boat ramp on the other side is a structure going nowhere, actually, to more, dry lake bed, again, extending for quite a distance.
It’s a sad, alarming visual experience and worth a trip out Lake Mendocino Drive to see for yourself the extent of the severity of the water shortage. If you want a clear graphic representation of the current drought/water crisis, go to the website of Sonoma Water and click on the tab for “current water supply.” There you will see three graphs, each representing the current water supply levels for Lake Pillsbury, Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, a waterway system that is connected all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
As of the first week in March, Lake Pillsbury was at 66.1 percent of its Target Storage Curve, Lake Sonoma was at 63.4 percent of its water supply capacity and Lake Mendocino was
at 46 percent of its target water supply curve—about 33,000 acre-feet of its total capacity of about 118,000 acre-feet.
Lake Mendocino relies on year-to-year rainfall to fill as well as water diverted from the Potter Valley Project; it is a key drinking water source for the cities of Ukiah, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Hopland; and it provides water to Sonoma Water’s Russian River water supply system.
The Sonoma Water website states that the region is facing the third driest year on record—records that go back 127 years— and reservoir capacities are lower than they were during the last drought of 2013/2014.
The Almanac on the back page of the March 14 Ukiah Daily Journal indicates that there has been 12.43 inches of rain this year (about 60 percent below average), that last year at this time there had been 10.91 inches and the normal season to date is 31.8 inches.
It will be another year of drought.
Sonoma Water is a costsharing partner for Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma and works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in determining the amount of water to be released from each reservoir depending on the lake levels.
On Feb. 5, Sonoma County Water Agency implemented a Temporary Urgency Change Order stating that it can immediately reduce the amount of water it releases from Lake Mendocino, preserving water in the lake due to low water storage levels caused by dry weather conditions.
Looking proactively to the future, beginning in 2014, a partnership of federal, state and local agencies led by Sonoma Water and the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego created a successful program—known as Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (Firo)—that allows more winter rain to be stored at Lake Mendocino using advanced weather forecasting. The pilot program balances the water supply and flood control purposes of the reservoir and is being considered by other water agencies in the state.
FIRO has allowed operators to better optimize water resources at Lake Mendocino by increasing the lake’s dry season stores of drinking water, improving its ability to alleviate flood risk and enhancing environmental conditions in the downstream Russian River to support salmonid species.
The idea behind FIRO is to get through the rainy season with as much water as possible in Lake Mendocino.
Lake Mendocino Park Manager Poppy Lozoff explains that with 600,000 users downstream all the way to Jenner in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Water Agency has the majority of water rights, and the major water providers in the Ukiah Valley—the City of Ukiah, Rogina Water Company and Millview, Calpella, and Willow County Water Districts and The Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District—all pull water from the river on a regular basis.
“FIRO is the most exciting thing happening in the county,” she explains, “We had previously been managing water based on a water control manual, basically dictating to operators to release this amount at this time, no matter the weather. FIRO takes the weather into account using current technology, science and observation. It’s a pilot study; it’s going to change the world and we are at the forefront.”
Local water management is a highly complex process taking into consideration the weather, Lake Pillsbury and the Potter Valley Project above the lake, all the users along the way—farms, vineyards, businesses and individuals—and the necessity to maintain a minimum flow year-round for the maintenance of fish.
“With so many variables it’s very complicated and these factors can change within minutes.”
She remains optimistic. “We all have influence over water usage; if we can save water as it flows down the river, not use as much, we can meet the minimum requirements for the fish and also have more water remaining in the lake.
“FIRO is proof that we are moving forward, on the cutting edge, learning from our past mistakes and trying not to repeat them. I’m not sure that we will ever get back to the glory days of the lake in the ’70s but we might have glory days in a different form. We’re slowly working on positive change.”
In preparing for the drought, Sonoma Water Saving Partnership has launched a social media campaign to emphasize the need to save water by highlighting actions customers can take to reduce water use and improve water use efficiency. To access this information, go to http://www.savingwaterpartnership.org/.
Indoor water saving tips include: using a front load washing machine; don’t let the water run while shaving, brushing teeth or rinsing dishes; don’t let the water run when you lather your hands; listen for dripping faucets; check your toilet for leaks; learn how to read your water meter; prevent and report water waste; and run dishwasher and clothes washer with full loads only.
Outdoor water-saving tips include: watering between midnight and 6 a.m.; water your lawn and garden in two short cycles—watering to a depth of 4-6 inches will encourage healthier roots and allow the plants to go for a longer time without watering; target your water use in your garden by hand watering exactly in the spots that need it; inspect and tune up your sprinkler system monthly; adjust sprinkler heads to prevent water draining off your lawn and down the gutter; reduce sprinkler time; use a broom not a hose to clean your driveway, deck or patio; use a bucket and hose with an automatic shut off nozzle when washing your car or take it to a car wash that recycles; and cover pools and hot tubs to reduce evaporation.