Russian River Weekly Update 9/8/26
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Reservoir Storage & Operations:
Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (find more water storage info here).
Water Quality:
- Lake County News: State advisory issued for Lake Pillsbury due to harmful algal bloom 9/2/26
- Mendocino Voice: State recommends ‘danger’ advisory at Lake Pillsbury as toxic algae warnings spread across Lake and Mendocino counties 9/3/26
Future of the Eel River to Russian River Trans Basin Diversion (Potter Valley Project)
- FERC has noticed two additional public scoping sessions on September 15th and 16th to collect comments on the scope of the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the NEPA document. All interested individuals, resource agencies, Native American Tribes, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are invited to attend one or both of the sessions. See the RRFC webpage on the Future of the Eel River to Russian River Diversion for more information on the additional scoping meetings and more.
- FERC has extended the comment period on the Scoping Document 1 for the Proposed Surrender, Decommissioning, and Non-Project use of Project Lands (NERF) to September 18, 2026 at 2 PM Pacific Time. Agency/Organization submitted comments to FERC on scoping document are linked on RRFC webpage on the Future of the Eel River to Russian River Diversion
Russian River Clean-Up – Saturday, September 19, 2026
Black Oak is supporting the annual Russian River Clean up: “Join us and an amazing group of humans for a couple hours of river beautification. All volunteers will be provided fresh brewed Black Oak Coffee, plus a coupon for a free drink at our cafes. It's a lot of fun” Sign up for Sonoma and Mendocino Counties Registering is required for Sonoma County, and slots will fill up fast.
North Coast Resource Partnership – Next Meeting October 15 & 16 in Ukiah
Join your partners and colleagues in the north coast region to identify actionable solutions for community and watershed resilience. The North Coast Resource Partnership is updating the Vision for North Coast Resilience – an actionable priority plan for regional resilience that was informed by hundreds of partners in the region through interviews, one-on-one meetings, workshops, conferences, and surveys. The NCRP Leadership Council, Technical Peer Review Committee, and staff deeply value partner collaboration and insights to evolve this adaptive shared regional vision, and would appreciate your active participation in this updating process. More information.
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.
In the press:
- DWR: Weekly Water Highlights — September 2, 2026
- Maven's Notebook Weekly Edition 8/30-9/4/26
- Maven's Notebook Weekend Edition 9/4/26
- The monthly Weather-Climate Summary and Forecast is now available. This month’s report is posted directly here,
- Sustainable Groundwater Management News: August 2026
El Niño:
- Wired: We’ve Got a ‘Supersized’ El Niño on Our Hands 9/3/26
- CBS news: Human-caused climate change likely to supercharge El Niño, report says 9/3/26
- Mother Jones: This “Supersized” El Niño Is Only Just Beginning to Wreak Its Havoc 9/4/26
- NOAA El Niño in California: Information & Preparedness Guide:
Other:
- Scripps Institute (via Maven's Notebook)Study: Reservoir management system could save California $150 Million every year 9/1/26
- UC San Diego: Study: Reservoir Management System Could Save California $150 Million Every Yea 9/1/26
- Active Nor Cal: Smarter Dams Could Save California $150 Million a Year, New Study Finds 9/1/26
- Trout Unlimited: Fixing problematic culverts 9/2/26
- Discover Wildlife: People started building artificial beaver dams in California. Now something "mind blowing" is happening 9/2/26
- Mercury News: A new California law will ban watering decorative grass, even in non-drought years, starting Jan. 1 9/4/26