Russian River Weekly Update 10/20/26

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Russian River, October 2026 by E Salomone

Reservoir Storage & Operations:

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

The image shows current water storage data for Lake Mendocino, Lake Pillsbury, and Lake Sonoma, with changes over the last week.

The graph shows Lake Mendocino's water storage levels from 2019 to 2026, indicating trends and capacity in acre-feet.

The graph shows Lake Pillsbury storage levels and target scenarios from 2019 to 2026, tracking changes in acre-feet over time.

The graph shows Lake Sonoma's water storage levels over time from 2019 to 2026, with a projected storage of 228,794 acre-feet by October 2026.

Mendocino Voice: PG&E plans November repair of void at Cape Horn Dam in Mendocino County 10/14/26

2026, 10-15 PG&E PVID Notification of fall irrigation.pdf

El Niño

Daniel Swain: “Quite frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it before (and I do not say that lightly!). I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past couple of weeks crunching the numbers and commiserating with other experts in the El Niño space, and here are some key points from my own quantitative and contextual assessment:

The likelihood of a wetter than average winter in California is extremely high by historical standards (odds >90% statewide)
The likelihood of an extremely wet (top 10%/90th percentile) winter are much greater than usual (~5x background odds)
There is a greatly elevated risk (around ~20x background likelihood) of a record-wet season, and/or individual record-wet months
High confidence wet signal extends farther north along CA coast and inland vs typical El Niño; highest confidence region includes San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento region and points south
Peak California impacts will be from December through March, and January & February may feature highest likelihood of extreme wet condition”

From Weather West by Daniel Swain: El Niño, already near/at record intensity, will further strengthen to historic level and likely bring major California & SW U.S. winter impacts 10/12/26

NWS Eureka: October El Niño Update:

2026_Oct_16_NWS EKA ENSO Briefing.pdf El Niño in California - OctoberUpdate.pdf

Haunted Hydrology: Learn and Be Spooked!

Geo Rutherford has an annual series, Spooky Lake Month, which takes place in October each year on social media. During the month, Rutherford posts a new video on a "haunted hydrology" story each day focused on the environment, the power of nature, and humankind’s interaction with water. Check out her videos on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, and You Tube. A recent episode on El Niño:

State Water Board workshops on groundwater recharge permits

The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Division of Water Rights will hold two virtual workshops on Monday, October 19, and Monday, October 26, for those planning to divert surface water for groundwater recharge this winter. The sessions will explain temporary water-right permits, rules for flood-recharge diversions, and related topics. Each workshop will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., and registration is required for each session.
Workshop 1: Getting Ready to Recharge with a Permit (October 19). Register now.
Workshop 2: Capturing Floodflows Without a Permit (October 26). Register now.

California Financing Coordinating Committee

The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) is holding free virtual funding fairs on October 29 and November 4, 2026. (Funding Fair Flyer) The funding fairs provide the opportunity to learn more about available grant, loan, and bond financing options for infrastructure projects from federal, state, and local agencies. Representatives from water industry professionals, public works, local governments, and California Native American Tribes should attend. This includes city managers and planners, economic development and engineering professionals, officials from privately owned facilities, water and irrigation district managers, financial advisors, and project consultants. For more information about CFCC, please visit the website at www.cfcc.ca.gov.

The Future of Telemetry in California

Members of the California Water Data Consortium Telemetry Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will discuss their telemetry recommendations to the California State Water Resources Board during “Data for Lunch: The State and Future of Telemetry in California,” a 90-minute webinar starting at noon on Wednesday, October 21. Among other topics, TAC will discuss where telemetry investments are most critical, effective, and cost-efficient; lessons learned from bringing water rights holders, water users, agencies, nonprofits, and researchers to the same table; and what the future holds for telemetry in California. Registration for this event is open now.

Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission Seeks Executive Director

The Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission (IWPC) is seeking an Executive Director. The role presents a unique opportunity to make a significant regional impact at a pivotal moment as IWPC advances multiple high-profile initiatives with expanded resources and strong professional support. For more information, visit the job listing webpage here.

CA Water Data Consortium: The Momentum Is Building for Better Water Data in California

On September 3rd, more than 400 water professionals joined the launch webinar for the Initiative to Streamline Water Data Reporting in California (ISWDR CA), a partnership of the Consortium, California Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP), the California Data Collaborative, and Associate of California Water Agencies (ACWA). The next phase moves from analysis to practical solutions: digging into existing reports, aligning data definitions and timelines, and prototyping ideas with reporting agencies and State partners before recommending them statewide. There's a role for everyone. Water agencies and consultants can join engagement sessions and volunteer for pilot testing, State agencies can help identify coordination opportunities, and funders can support the next phase of work. Link to the full recap.
If you are a reporting entity, the easiest place to start is by completing the Reporting Impact Survey.

2026 Russian River Confluence and R3MP Watershed Convening, October 29th 9:15 am-4 pm

The Convening is hosted by the Russian River Confluence and the Russian River Regional Monitoring Program (R3MP) in coordination with the Russian River Watershed Association and the Watershed Resilience Network. The objective is to give everyone clarity and ways to move forward.

What to expect:

Time to build or deepen relationships with partners from across the watershed
Discussion of example projects under Prop 4 and other funding opportunities
Small-group conversations on specific outcome areas in the watershed, including relationships and collaboration, water resources, working lands, trusted information, and more
Leave with actionable next steps

When and where: Thursday, October 29th, at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC). Doors open at 8:30am, and the program will run from 9:15am-4pm.
Register: Draft agenda and register at russianriverconfluence.org/convening (password to register is RIPPLE). It’s free to attend, and lunch is provided. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.

Important: Because space at HREC is limited due to the nature of table activities, it is asked that only one to two representatives from each organization attend and walk-ins cannot be accomodated. A limited number of stipends are available for Tribes and Tribal-serving organizations on a first-come, first-served basis. Reply by 10/23 for stipend information.

RRC/R3MP Drop-in Session:
If you’d like to ask questions or talk through anything beforehand, a virtual drop-in call is being held on Friday, October 23rd, from 1 to 2:30pm PT, on Zoom with information on R3MP, the Convening, and the RRC Charter, which the Charter Review Committee completed and the Conservation Works board approved. Add the drop-in to your calendar.

Introducing New Podcast: "From the Source," a new limited-series with California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot

The new From the Source podcast features candid conversations with leaders who were in the room when some of the toughest and most consequential decisions were made. Going beyond the headlines, this limited series explores the choices on the table, the tradeoffs, what worked, what didn't and what leaders learned along the way. These are conversations with the people behind California's unfolding environmental story - told by the people who lived it. Subscribe and download the first episode with CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, or listen on our website.