Heavy rains bring little water relief

<p>A five-day burst of rain soaked the North Coast but did little to ease the region’s water shortage, which has communities striving to curb use by 15 percent to as much as 50 percent.</p><p>The late rains that fell from Friday through Tuesday dropped 2.72 inches on Santa Rosa and 2.17 inches on Ukiah but had negligible impact on reservoir levels in what officials say is a third straight dry year.</p><p>For Santa Rosa, the five-day rainfall total exceeded the 30-year average for the months of April and May combined.</p><p>Lake Mendocino near Ukiah got just 1,100 more acre feet of water — a 2 percent increase, leaving it at 61 percent of capacity, said Brad Sherwood of the Sonoma County Water Agency.</p><p>“That’s just a drop in the bucket,” he said.</p><p>Lake Sonoma remained nearly full with 92 percent of its water supply pool stored behind Warm Springs Dam west of Geyserville.</p><p>Ranchers got a boost from the precipitation, which will postpone the need for crop irrigation. But for water managers it was more of a public relations headache.</p><p>“Late spring rain makes it harder to get the conservation message out to the public,” Sherwood said.</p><p>He was dismayed to see lawn sprinklers running as the raindrops fell, evidence that the message wasn’t reaching everyone.</p><p>Santa Rosa, Windsor and the North Marin Water District, which serves the Novato area, are among the local agencies that are seeking a 15 percent reduction in water use.</p><p>In Santa Rosa, Windsor and Sebastopol it is voluntary; North Marin’s water conservation order is mandatory.</p><p>Healdsburg has asked residents to voluntarily meet a 20 percent reduction from 2008 water consumption. Cotati’s goal is a voluntary 10 percent reduction.</p><p>Rohnert Park has no water conservation standards this year.</p><p>In Mendocino County, at least three water districts are seeking a voluntary 50 percent reduction. The Redwood Valley County Water District is making it mandatory, with a recommended limit of 60 gallons a person a day.</p><p>If every household stays within that recommendation, “we have a good chance of making it through he summer,” said a notice sent to Redwood Valley water customers.</p><p>“Brown lawns and dirty cars must become a reality and a sign of community support,” the notice said.</p><p>The district, which serves about 3,000 people in an unincorporated area north of Ukiah, draws its water directly from Lake Mendocino.</p><p>Santa Rosa declared a water shortage emergency in February, establishing the voluntary 15 percent water cutback, prohibiting sidewalk and patio washing and stipulating that restaurants only serve water on request.</p><p>If the region’s water situation worsens this summer, Santa Rosa will replace the 15 percent conservation goal with household consumption limits, starting at 65 gallons a person a day. At even lower allowances — 57 and 50 gallons a person a day — the city would impose a surcharge on households that exceed the limits.</p>