May, 2009
Dear Russian River Supporter
Lawns or canoes? Water shortage means severe limits for recreation season…..
Urban water use in Sonoma County and Marin is at least twice as great in summer as in winter. Coupled with high temperatures that cause evaporation, landscape watering and over-watering commonly accounts for greatly increased water use.
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.