Newsletters

Major water policy changes on the way….At a time when the Russian River is most at risk, and also because of it, a major convergence of issues and an associated massive shift in water policy is being gradually revealed by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA).  The proposal of many changes to occur over the next few years, stimulated by the need to address drought and greatly diminished Eel River water transfers, includes managed flows at a level we have seldom seen in our lifetimes. More »

Drought again!   Last November, we thought we were done with drought.  It was raining so hard, and for so many days, we almost wished it (the rain) would go away.  Now we’re sorry, aren’t we?  This January we got almost nothing, although the wind is drying everything out and we are told that the fire season has begun. (We had less than an inch of rain between January 1st and mid-February, 2022, More »

Wait and See…..Since early this year, as the reservoirs declined and the rain failed to fall, Sonoma County water purveyors suffered a severe case of ‘wait and see’.  Early on, it was ‘wait and see’ if the rain comes and the reservoirs fill, even when limited falling rain was greedily absorbed by vegetation and thirsty soil before reaching the creeks. Then it was ‘wait and see’ how much water was being conserved; as time sped by and reservoirs dropped quickly.  Even then, in June and July, no one seemed ready to panic.  Lowering minimum flows to 35 cfs was also thought to save the day, but that didn’t make much difference in reservoir levels either. More »

While many are now breaking free of COVID and roaring back to their former lives, others are wondering if the Russian River will have any water next fall.   It’s rather disconcerting to talk to people about running out of water if they respond with, “What drought”?  I photographed the approximately one foot deep mid-river flow recently at one spot in Monte Rio, a sure sign we’ll have a problem.  Here’s an update…

Governor declared drought emergency…In late April, Governor Newsom declared a drought emergency for Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, triggering emergency measures to address the drought while not yet making them mandatory. (Some mandatory requirements are only now beginning to kick in.) More »