Sonoma County Gazette, July, 2013: Low Flow on the River

Summer is here, along with ‘low flow’ debate….At a special meeting on June 6th, as part of the Sweetwater Springs Water District regular Board Meeting, Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) staff described current river conditions, why low flows were necessary, and how low they may go.

Simultaneously, Santa Rosa has been revving up it’s “Take it from the Tap” promotional campaign, a State wide effort to get people to buy more municipal water, rather than the ever popular bottled.  While the merits of bottled water are often no more than convenience, encouraging customers to drink more tap (Russian River) water when flows are stressed, is dubious as well.  Conservation should be the theme of the day, not encouragement to use more tap water.