Drought Is Here. Save Water.

As a region we are experiencing a second consecutive 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.

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.

View drought Frequently Asked Questions.

Learn more about current water supply levels.

Drought Town Hall Questions and Answers

Drought Is Here. Save Water.

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: "Drought Is Here. Save Water." 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.

For additional water saving tips and resources, please visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership website.

How are we doing?

The Sonoma Water Cumulative River Diversions Plot graph below shows cumulative water savings by Sonoma Water customers for 2021 compared to 2020. Since July 1, we’ve reduced diversions from the Russian River by nearly 22%. Please keep up the good work -- every drop we save means more water in our reservoirs for the dry fall!

Local Water Supply Articles

No more water to support water rights along the Russian River Northern California Public Media - August 3, 2021

State moves forward with water restrictions for thousands of farms and water agencies San Francisco Chronicle - August 3, 2021

Gripped by Drought, Marin Considers Desalination, Water Pipeline Over the Richmond Bridge KQED - August 2, 2021

Marin Voice: Supervisor supports conservation, growth amid water shortage Marin Independent Journal - August 1, 2021

Looking for past articles? Visit our Drought Articles Archive page.