Reservoir levels still drastically low
The recent downpour of water that started right after Thanksgiving may have people thinking we’re out of the woods in terms of the drought, however, that is far from reality.
“The drought, unfortunately, is still on. However, this last series of storms has set the stage for hopefully what could be a wet winter, which would help get the edge off the drought. What we need to get out of the drought is an above average rainfall for the entire year, and we probably need a couple years of that to fully saturate the environment,” said Community and Government Affairs Manager for the Sonoma County Water Agency Brad Sherwood. “In particular, this lasts series of storms was beautiful and perfect and exactly what we want to see. The first two storms came in and really saturated the soil. Before that, the soils were extremely dry. The third storm came in and helped create the runoff that we really need in order to get water in our reservoirs. We haven’t seen a series of storms like this in two years.”
From Oct. 1 through Dec. 7, the Santa Rosa basin had a rainfall of 5.78 inches, which is 80 percent of the average. The average rainfall from 1950 to 2014 was 7.26 inches. Even though we are still in the depths of a drought, the rainfall is an improvement from last year. This time last year, Sonoma County had 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rainfall, said Matt Wanink, a meteorologist and field technician at Western Weather Group.
The water supply system for Sonoma County consists of two major reservoirs: Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino. Healdsburg and Cloverdale get water from the upper reach of the Russian River, above the confluence with Dry Creek, which flows from Lake Mendocino.
The water supply system for Windsor and surrounding cities also includes the lower reach of the Russian River, below the confluence with Dry Creek, which flows from Lake Sonoma.
The impact of the drought can be seen the most significantly in Lake Mendocino and the northern part of the county, Sherwood said.
Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino reservoir levels are a far cry from the average.
By Dec. 3, 2012, Lake Sonoma had a 90.4 percent water supply pool and Lake Mendocino had an 88 percent water supply pool.
By Dec. 1, 2013, Lake Sonoma had a 71.2 percent water supply pool and Lake Mendocino had a 45.5 percent water supply pool.
The numbers for this year speak for themselves. As of Dec. 7, 2014, Lake Sonoma had a 58.9 percent water supply pool and Lake Mendocino had a 47.4 percent water supply pool.
Sherwood said that in terms of how much the storms have improved the reservoir’s water supply levels, “It’s not significant, but we will take anything and everything we can get. The reservoirs are both extremely low for this time of year.”
The drought hasn’t just drained the big reservoirs; local farmers have also seen the effects.
Robert Young Vineyards has four reservoirs that are used for frost protection and irrigation. Before the rain, the reservoirs were “pretty much down to the bottom,” said Jim Young, president and vineyard manager of Robert Young Vineyards.
As of Dec. 5, one reservoir was full, another about half full and the other two were about a third full, Young said.
Young said that those at Robert Young Vineyards are relieved since the rainfall.
“We feel a lot better about it. We’re fairly optimistic and hopeful we’re going to get enough to fill up the reservoirs for the rest of the winter and we’ll be set for the next season,” Young said.
Young said that the recent rainfall is having a positive impact on Sonoma County agriculture.
“I think it’s helping everyone. We’re getting enough water where it’s starting to replenish the soil with moisture that the vines are going to need. I’m more encouraged than I was last winter,” Young said.
Meteorologist Wanink said that the recent rainstorms have “helped put a dent” in the drought, but “we’re going to need a lot more rain.”
Wanink said there will be storms through at least mid-December that will bring decent rains to Sonoma County. He predicted the winter will be “near normal,” without over-the-top rain.
“It’s a good sign so far,” Wanink said about the recent rainfall. “We’re leaning towards ending the year on a decent, wet note.”
Sonoma County will probably not be out of the drought even after this year’s storms, Wanink said.
“We’re going to need a lot of rain to fill the reservoirs,” Wanink said. “The reservoirs and everything are so low it’s going to be hard to catch up.”
Another storm is on the horizon. The National Weather Service, Bay Area, issued a high wind and flash flood warning for Dec. 10 and 11 (after press time), ahead of the approaching strong storm. Heavy rainfall is expected throughout the Bay Area, especially in the North Bay. The volume of rainfall is expected to overwhelm waterways and roadway drainage systems, leading to flash flooding. Additionally, high winds from 20 to 40 mph are expected, with gusts of up to 40 to 60 mph.
Even with the storms, we are still in a drought and Sherwood urges people to act accordingly.
“A big message is that if folks haven’t already turned off their outside irrigation, it’s better late than never,” Sherwood said. “If folks have those automatic timers, please go out and turn them off and let Mother Nature do her work for the landscape.”
