Skip to main content

Russian River Weekly Update 5/12/25

<Click to view content on website>

Russian River vineyard near Hopland, May 2025 by E Salomone
Russian River vineyard near Hopland, May 2025 by E Salomone

 Reservoir Storage & Operations:

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

Storage data for Lakes Mendocino, Pillsbury, and Sonoma including current storage, target/curve values, and 7-day change in acre-feet.
Graph of Lake Mendocino storage from 2018 to 2025, showing water levels in acre-feet across various years and storage curves.
Graph of Lake Pillsbury storage scenarios from 2018-2025 with water levels in acre-feet, highlighting May 10, 2025 at 56,425 acre-feet.
Graph of Lake Sonoma storage from 2018-2025 showing acre-feet over time, with a peak on May 12, 2025, at 262,629 acre-feet.

 

NOTICE of Petitions for Temporary Urgency Change Petitions for Sonoma County Water Agency

The State Water Resources Control Board has formally noticed Sonoma Water Agency’s submission of Petitions for Temporary Urgency Change (TUCP) to modify the criteria for establishing the water supply conditions and the minimum instream flow requirements for the Russian River watershed that were established by Decision 1610. More information on RRFC website.

 

2025 Potter Valley Project Operations – Comment Period Opened by FERC

On April 16, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) opened the comment period on PG&E’s Application for Temporary Variance of Flow Requirements. With this notice, FERC is inviting federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues affected by the proposal, that wish to cooperate in the preparation of any environmental document, if applicable, to follow the instructions for filing such requests.  Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation of any environmental document cannot also intervene. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and protests is May 16, 2025. More information on RRFC website.

 

PG&E and PVP

Uploaded recently:

Press Democrat: Close to Home: A critical moment for North Coast water 5/11/25

2025, 5-7 Michaela Forbes comment to FERC on Decomissioning.pdf2025, 5-7 Mark Thayer comment to FERC on Decomissioning.pdf2025, 5-7 Mary Winter comment to FERC on Decomissioning.pdf

 

California Natural Resources Agency to Host Virtual Discussion on Climate Change Projects

Accelerating climate change requires us to move faster to slash pollution and protect Californians from climate impacts. We need to reduce bureaucratic red tape to review and approve good projects more quickly to meet our ambitious state climate targets and protect our residents. We have no time to waste! Join us to learn what’s being done to fast-track wildfire safety projects, clean energy systems, and environmental restoration, and suggest additional improvements we should consider.

WHAT: Secretary Speaker Series: Faster and Better -- Improving How We Deliver Climate Change Projects in California

WHEN: Thursday, May 15, 2025, from noon - 1 p.m.

HOW: Register in advance here.

MODERATOR: 

  • Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency

PANELISTS: 

  • Charlton H. Bonham, Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Lisa Lien-Mager, Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildfire Resilience, California Natural Resources Agency 
  • Le-Quyen Nguyen, Deputy Secretary for Energy, California Natural Resources Agency
  • Phil Crader, Deputy Director of the Water Quality Division, State Water Resources Control Board

 

PODCAST: Modeling Water Supply and Demand

Justin Bowen, PhD and Founder of HydroScapes Analytics, discusses his dissertation and new model for spatially mapping water rights, water rights distribution systems, and watershed conditions. This model brings together water right information, soil moisture conditions, OpenET evapotranspiration data, real time gauge measurements, and existing hydrologic models to assess watershed impacts of efficiency and conservation projects.

Ripple Effect Episode 198: Modeling the Prior Appropriation System Against Real Conditions

 

Water Awareness Month: Fresno State CA Water Institute’s Water Bootcamp

Recording of the May 2nd session 1 is now available. It covered the CA Water Institute, Hydrology, Watersheds, and Stormwater. Recording on YouTube. More information on the bootcamp.

 

In the press:

 

Join our mailing list