Lake levels at record lows

<p>A lack of rainfall has left lakes Sonoma and Mendocino at record lows and raises the probability of mandatory water rationing.</p><p>"Unless the weather changes substantially and we get a lot of rain, we are looking at potentially mandatory conservation this summer," said Pam Jeane, Sonoma County Water Agency's deputy director of water operations.</p><p>So far this year, 7.28 inches of rain has fallen in Santa Rosa, compared to an average of 16.21.</p><p>With no rain in the forecast, the Water Agency on Feb. 1 expects to declare it a dry water year, allowing it to cut back on the amount of water it is releasing from Coyote and Warm Springs dams into Dry Creek and the Russian River to conserve what water is left.</p><p>Jeane said at that time the Water Agency also will be telling its customers, which are the major cities and districts from Windsor to San Rafael, to expect mandatory rationing of from 30 to 50 percent.</p><p>"At that point, it will be hard to keep the lawn alive," said Dan Muelrath, Santa Rosa's conservation coordinator.</p><p>Sean White, general manager of the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District, said it's too early to panic, but warns Lake Mendocino is lower than it was at this time in 1977, the worst drought year on record.</p><p>"If we supercede 1977, we'll be setting a new benchmark," said White, whose district holds Mendocino County's right to Lake Mendocino water.</p><p>Water rationing is also facing the 200,000 residents and agriculture users from Ukiah to Healdsburg who rely on Lake Mendocino.</p><p>The lake on Monday was at 32,180 acre-feet, the lowest level for the end of January since the reservoir was completed in 1959.</p><p>If the lake level drops below 30,000 acre-feet, which now looks likely, it will trigger a ban on all agricultural uses of water in Redwood Valley.</p><p>Residential customers would also be required to decrease water use to 100 gallons per day per household, about 50 percent of normal water usage, said Redwood Valley Water District Manager Bill Koehler.</p><p>Since last year, when the lake level was also at historically low levels, Redwood Valley's 3,500 customers already cut back 20 percent, Koehler said.</p><p>"It's very scary," said Mendocino County Supervisor Carre Brown, who is a Potter Valley rancher.</p><p>Lake Sonoma, the North Bay's largest reservoir, has 182,128 acre-feet of water, also a record low for this time of the year.</p><p>More worrisome is that both lake levels are falling as if it's summer.</p><p>"The folks between Ukiah and Healdsburg will have to be careful. We have projections that Lake Mendocino will get to the level that we may not be able to release water from it at all," Jeane said.</p><p>Sonoma County Water Agency's contractors serve 600,000 from Windsor to parts of Marin County.</p><p>The Water Agency will meet Monday with a committee which represents its customers.</p><p>In the past two years, the Water Agency has asked for voluntary conservation so it could stockpile water in Lake Mendocino for the fall run of chinook salmon.</p><p>It was largely because of changes in the Potter Valley project, which was shunting more water into the Eel River and reducing the amount into the Russian River and Lake Mendocino.</p><p>The water savings from the voluntary call was 15 to 20 percent.</p><p>"That was a regulatory drought. This is a two-fold drought, not a regulatory drought, but a combination of changes in the Potter Valley project operations and a we-have-not-had-enough-rainfall drought," Jeane said.</p><p>Santa Rosa, the largest water purchaser, is already formulating its plans, Muelrath said.</p><p>With conservation of 30 percent, Santa Rosa homes would get 57 gallons per person per day, landscaping would only get 2,000 gallons per month and commercial irrigation would be 50 percent of what is necessary to keep lawns green.</p><p>At 50 percent, Santa Rosa homes are allowed 50 gallons per person, and there is no water for irrigation except for trees and shrubs.</p><p>"We are really looking for the Water Agency to make the call," Muelrath said. "Once they make the call and determine how much we have to cut back, that is when we'll put the plans into place. We are preparing, but we don't know where it will land yet."</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com, and Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@</p><p>pressdemocrat.com</p>