Lawns or canoes? Low flows and water shortage spell severe limits for recreation season…..
By Brenda Adelman
Urban water use in Sonoma County and Marin is at least twice as great in summer as in winter. Coupled with high temperatures, it drives the water drawdown up. Much of that extra water goes to watering urban lawns.
The Russian River is now experiencing one of the worst water shortages since the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) came into being in the early 1950’s. It’s a complex story, and for those of us downstream, it’s profoundly unfair, since lower river residents themselves use far less water in summer than their urban friends.