San Rafael, CA – The State of California has added Marin County to its list of counties falling under its state of emergency regarding deepening drought conditions and record-breaking high temperatures statewide.
At a July 8 news conference in San Luis Obispo, Governor Gavin Newsom made the drought official in 50 of the state’s 58 counties. Marin joined Inyo, Mono, Inyo, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz as newcomers on the list. Newsom also asked Californians to cut water consumption by 15% including by reducing outdoor watering by one day per week and using water-using appliances less frequently. State agencies are partnering with local water suppliers to promote conservation tips through the Save Our Water campaign.
Nicasio Reservoir is not nearly as big as it used to be.After hearing details about local dry conditions and water supplies, the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously May 18 to declare a local emergency and acknowledge the imminent threat of disaster. The declaration acknowledged the extent and impacts of the drought in Marin, which is severely affecting dairies and ranchers in West Marin. It also made the County eligible for California Disaster Assistance and other forms of state funding and resources. The local declaration cleared the way for state authorities to aid response and recovery efforts available to the County, water suppliers, farmers, impacted businesses and residents.
Marin Water, the municipal water district serving the majority of water customers in the county, and the Novato-based North Marin Water District (NMWD) are staying in contact with the County of Marin about drought conditions. Marin Water serves more than 191,000 customers in central and southern Marin. NWMD serves a customer base of about 64,000 in and around Novato and parts of coastal West Marin.
Both water districts declared water shortage emergencies and enacted mandatory conservation measures. For localized details, see the water rules webpages for Marin Water and NMWD.
Marin Water has a collective districtwide goal of reducing water use by 40%. The district this week tightened its irrigation restrictions, limiting spray irrigation to one day per week, with each community given an assigned watering day. Drip irrigation is limited to any two days per week.
Marin’s cumulative rainfall figures are at record lows, with rainfall levels in the last 18 months the lowest recorded in more than 140 years. Marin Water’s reservoir storage levels are the lowest they have been in more than 40 years, since capacity was expanded. According to Marin Water rainfall measurements taken at Lake Lagunitas, the one-year total from July 2019 to July 2020 was about 34 inches, well below the historical annual average total of 52 inches. Measurements taken by the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District at various locations around the county show that Marin has received less than half the rainfall than it did the previous year. Examine more local statistics on Marin.OneRain.com.
Sonoma County, an important source of water for Marin customers, has been under a state of emergency since April 21 because of dry conditions within the Russian River watershed.
Marin residents have been asked to support local agricultural producers who have been affected by the drought right on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ranchers have been importing water by truck to keep their animals alive and reducing their herds. With far less vegetation for grazing because of the drought, animals are eating imported feed shipped from other states at high costs to the ranchers. Marin crop producers have fallowed approximately 150 acres, or about 50% of the 300 crop acres in the county.
The Board of Supervisors recently approved $150,000 in drought relief funds for the agricultural industry and another $250,000 for general drought relief needs to augment other state and federal aid.