Sonoma Water E-News - March 2021

Sonoma Water E-News | March 2021

Water Supply Update – Second Dry Year in a Row

As a region we are experiencing a second dry year, and rainfall and water storage are well below average for this time of year. Sonoma Water and its partners in the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership (SMSWP) encourage all of our 600,000 drinking water customers to continue to save water (see tips below).

Our region just experienced the third driest water year (October 2019 - September 2020) on record over the last 127 years. We all need to make changes to our everyday habits to eliminate water waste and preserve water supply. Every drop saved helps maintain water flows in the Russian River and extend reservoir storage levels should the current dry period continue.

To help raise awareness of water supply conditions, Sonoma Water is unveiling a new water supply graphic (below) that provides a snapshot of the rainfall and water storage for our two main reservoirs, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino. We will be updating this regularly on the Sonoma Water website (www.sonomawater.org) and on the SMWSP website (www.savingwaterpartnership.org).

Learn more about Water Supply

It’s A Dry Year. Save Water With Us.

The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership has launched a public outreach campaign to encourage water conservation in the North Bay. To support this message, we’ve adopted a regional tag line : "It's A Dry Year. Save Water With Us." Water is a resource that our community shares, and it is critical that we all protect and conserve this valuable resource.

These are a few of the water-wasting activities that are prohibited year-round in cities in Sonoma and Marin county:

Washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways or other hard surfaced areas with a hose. Use a broom instead.
Irrigation runoff to streets and storm drains from overwatering or sprinkler-overspray of landscapes.
Using a hose without a self-closing shutoff nozzle to wash cars, boats, or trailers.
Irrigating outdoors during and within 48 hours following measurable rainfall.
Using potable water in decorative water features that do not recirculate the water.

It’s a Dry Year. Save Water With Us.

For additional water saving tips and resources, please visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership website: http://www.savingwaterpartnership.org/

Learn more about the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership

Equity Working Group Organizes at Sonoma Water

The mission of Sonoma Water is to effectively manage the water resources in our care for the benefit of people and the environment. A reliable water supply system and healthy watershed benefits our entire community and engaging and including all stakeholders in decision making is crucial to the success of Sonoma Water’s mission.

The county of Sonoma created the Office of Equity in June 2020. In October the Office of Equity gave a presentation to the entire agency, outlining its mission and highlighting the government's role in overlooked inequities. Twenty-eight staff from divisions across Sonoma Water joined to form an Equity Work Group. This working group is actively participating in training and discussion to learn more about structural and systemic inequities and intends to identify best practices and strategies developed and implemented by other government organizations and the Office of Equity to address inequities within our organization and in our communities. By working proactively and deliberately to be equitable and inclusive, Sonoma Water will be more successful in our work.

Additionally, Sonoma Water has created a Hispanic Community Advisory Group to expand and improve communications with the Hispanic community on water-related topics to enhance livability through water conservation and a healthy watershed. Having diverse perspectives in organizational decision-making will increase our organizational strength and relevance. We will be better able to identify and address the priorities of diverse communities by engaging directly to ensure messages and programs are meaningful and accessible. We seek to welcome, engage, and better serve our county and marginalized communities in all facets of our organization, activities, and programs.

2020 Urban Water Management Plan Update

Sonoma Water, in collaboration with its retail water contractors, is working on the 2020 update to its Urban Water Management Plan, which will be available for public review and input later this spring. The Plan is updated every five years to assess Sonoma Water’s water supply reliability to meet customer demands for the next 25 years.

More information about this regional water supply planning document and how to comment is available on Sonoma Water's website at www.sonomawater.org/uwmp.