Water usage down 18.4%, beating state mandate

Nearing the midway point in a mandatory conservation program, Sonoma County continues to run ahead of the state target for water savings from the Russian River, officials said Monday.

"We are at a good spot right now and it feels good to be halfway through the term of the order," said Pam Jeane, the Sonoma County Water Agency's deputy director of operations.

Since July 1, the agency has drawn 18.4 percent less water from the river than it did during a comparable period in 2004, exceeding a state requirement to reduce Russian River diversions by 15 percent.

Wednesday is the halfway point for the order, which runs through Oct. 28.

The weekly progress report issued Monday comes as Sonoma County is about to experience a warming trend, which could cause an increase in water use for irrigation.

"I don't know I would go so far as to say it is a heat wave, but we are expecting temperatures to warm over the next few days," said Bob Benjamin, a National Weather Service forecaster. "We'll get into the 90s the next few days, a bit above normal."

Benjamin said the warming trend will begin today and last through Thursday, with a high pressure system keeping offshore winds from blowing in cooler ocean air.

Jeane said, however, that August and September 2004 also had some hot spells, so she isn't too concerned about a big change in water saving numbers.

The amount of water use also seems to have plateaued, Jeane said.

"I have been looking at demand and it doesn't seem to be dropping any more. It seems to have leveled off," Jeane said. "People have gotten into the groove, but it is easy to get complacent and forget what we are doing and why we are doing it."

The state Water Resources Control Board ordered the cutback to save water in Lake Mendocino for the fall salmon run.

The water agency, in turn, ordered its customers to implement conservation measures.

The agency's customers are cities and water districts that in turn supply water to 600,000 homes and businesses from Windsor to Sausalito.

Many of them have tapped wells to augment supplies from the water agency so overall conservation figures don't match the drop in diversions from the Russian River.

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.

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