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After a second dry winter in a row, water agencies in Sonoma and Marin counties are jointly launching a conservation campaign. The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership hopes to increase public awareness initially through social media. The Sonoma County Airport picked up just over an inch of rain yesterday, a record for the date. However, that only brought the season total to 41-percent of average and nothing but dry weather is on the horizon. Sonoma Water says reservoir capacities are lower than they were during the last official drought years of 2013-2014. Just before this week’s rain, Lake Sonoma was only about 63-percent full and Lake Mendocino was at 46-percent of its target level.
Meanwhile, Novato-area residents are facing water conservation restrictions this summer. The Marin Independent Journal says the North Marin Water District adopted the emergency water conservation ordinance this week. Novato’s Stafford Lake, which supplies 25-percent of the water to thousands of residents, has seen only 8 inches of rain since last July. Officials say that is the lowest number since record keeping began.