Lake Sonoma drinking water supply hits 100 percent
Dale Changnon of Healdsburg takes in Lake Sonoma, late last week as rain continued to push the lake to 100 percent drinking water capacity.
KENT PORTER/THE PRESS DEMOCRATPublished: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 8:50 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 8:50 a.m.
Lake Sonoma has recovered from three years of below average rainfall, filling up its water supply pool and hitting the flood stage Tuesday for the first time in five years.
The lake hit 245,000 acre-feet at about 4 a.m.
Above that level, the water is into the flood pool and can be released through Warm Springs Dam into Dry Creek and the Russian River.
The Army Corps of Engineers also now takes over the operations of the dam from the Sonoma County Water Agency for flood control purposes.
At 7 a.m. Tuesday, Lake Sonoma had 246,337 acre-feet of water. At the beginning of the year, before a series of storms hit the North Coast, it held 182,090 acre-feet.
It is the first time that the water was in the flood pool since New Years Day in 2005, when storms caused flooding along the Russian River.
“We're ecstatic,” said Water Agency spokesman Brad Sherwood. “This is where want to be at this time of year. Year-round conservation is always important, but we are hearing that mandatory conservation is unlikely.”
The lake is the primary source of water for 600,000 residents from Windsor to San Rafael.
Lake Mendocino at 7 a.m. was at 59,475 acre-feet, which is 87 percent of its water supply capacity. At the beginning of the year, it held 33,050 acre-feet.
The lake is the source of water for residents and agriculture from Ukiah to Healdsburg, is used to maintain Russian River flows and is crucial to release water for the fall run of chinook salmon.
For the past two years, the low levels of Lake Mendocino were primarily why Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin County residents and the Water Agency were under state orders to conserve water for the fall salmon run.
Water Agency officials have said if the rains continue and Lake Mendocino is at 70,000 acre-feet on July 1, additional conservation measures will not be necessary this year.
Beginning on March 1, as the threat of flooding lessens, the Water Agency is allowed to begin storing water in the Lake Mendocino flood pool for later use, up to 111,000 acre-feet by mid May.
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