Reservoir Storage & Operations:

Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (more info here).

For more storage graphs, visit: https://www.sonomawater.org/current-water-supply-levels

Weather Update: 

 Trans Basin Diversion Update

Comment Period for the Draft PG&E Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the PVP Ends on December 22nd/

On November 17th, PG&E released the Initial Draft Surrender Application and Conceptual Decommissioning Plan (SA) for public review at the following website: pottervalleysurrenderproceeding.com

The initial draft can be accessed from the DOCUMENTS PAGE using the Password: PV_Surrender

The public comment period will be open until this Friday, December 22, 2023. Formal comments must be submitted in writing via email to PVSurrender@pge.com

Recent Articles:

• Press Democrat: PG&E formalizes plan to eliminate Lake Pillsbury in Mendocino National Forest in landmark move, 11/17/23
• Lake County Record-Bee: PG&E draft plans for Scott Dam, pilloried as tone deaf - BOS condemns PG&E for excluding Lake Co. from plans, 12/11/23
• Marin Independent Journal: Marin water suppliers laud Mendocino water diversion plan, 12/9/23
• Sonoma County Gazette: Sonoma and Mendocino counties unite with Round Valley Indian tribes to preserve vital water resources, 12/14/23

Announcement: Updated Website, Workshop Recording, and Office Hours Now Available 

 The State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights (Division) has developed new compliance assistance resources related to diversion measurement and reporting requirements, often referred to as SB88. The new compliance assistance resources include: 

1. Recording of the December 7, 2023 SB88 Measurement and Reporting Guidance Workshop; 
2. Presentation Slides from December 7, 2023 Workshop; 
3. Updated Website for the Water Measurement and Reporting Regulation; and 
4. One-on-One Office Hours with Division Staff. 

One-on-one office hours provide an opportunity for diverters, consultants, and any other stakeholder to meet with technical staff from the Division of Water Rights to discuss your obligations under the measurement and reporting regulation. Please email dwr-measurement@waterboards.ca.gov with your preferred date(s) and time(s) to meet, along with a brief description of your question. Division staff will reply to your email to schedule a time to meet.  

Please check the updated Water Measurement and Reporting Regulation website for other recently announced guidance including: datafile templates, a measurement and reporting manual, and an overview of measurement and reporting requirements. 

Please email dwr-measurement@waterboards.ca.gov if you have any questions. 

Reminder! State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP) is back!

Applications open December 5th, 2023 and close January 26th, 2024. Mendocino County Resource Conservation District can help with your application! See flyer linked below:

 Released in November 2023:

PPIC 2023 Priorities for California's Water

Water Education Foundation: Recommendations for Leveraging Green Infrastructure to Manage California Water

Join the Mendocino California Naturalist Community, Classes starting January 2024

Are you looking to learn about the wonders of our local ecology? The University of California’s California Naturalist class is open for registration once again in Mendocino, at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC). 
The California Naturalist Program seeks to foster a committed corps of volunteer naturalists and community scientists trained and ready to take an active role in natural resource conservation, education and restoration. The course introduces participants to the wonders of local ecology, engages them in the stewardship of California’s natural communities, and introduces cultural connections with the landscape. Classes combine a science curriculum with guest lecturers, field trips and project-based learning to immerse participants in the natural world of inland Mendocino County. The class runs from February 10 to April 27, with 6 Saturday classes and field trips to the beautiful oak woodlands and rangelands of the 5,358 acre site at HREC. This class will fill quickly so interested members of the community are encouraged to register early to avoid disappointment. Class size is limited to 25 participants.

In the press:

• CA Water Plan eNews Dec 13, 2023
• Maven's Notebook, Dec 10-15, 2023

• SF Gate: Meteorologists warn of 'above-average rainfall' during busy travel period in California, 12/11/23
• StateScoop: Is California ready for another extreme storm season? 12/14/23
• CA DWR: State Encourages Early Planning to Capture Winter Storm Runoff for Groundwater Recharge, 12/12/23
• NY Times (gift article via CA Water Ed Foundation): Who Gets the Water in California? Whoever Gets There First., 12/14/23
• CA Water Blog: California water ideas that deserve more attention, 12/10/23
• Phys.org: How a drought led to the rise of skateboarding in 1970s California, 12/12/23
• Sonoma County Gazette: Stormwater infrastructure proves vital to Sonoma County’s livability, 12/13/23
• CA DFW: Beaver Reintroduction Conducted in Cooperation with Local Tribes, 12/13/23

Featuring Lake Mendocino and Coyote Valley Dam:

Eos: Weather and Watershed Forecasting Make for Dam Smart Water Use, 12/13/23