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Although rain earlier this month provided some welcome relief, the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) — which serves the Dougherty Valley — is reminding its customers the drought it still on and irrigation restrictions are still in place.
“Our customers must keep their automatic sprinklers off until April first,” said Dan Gallagher, DSRSD drought coordinator and operations manager. “With spring-like temperatures, long nights, and occasional rain, landscapes can get by without additional irrigation”
According to the California Department of Water Resources climatologist, the state needs 150% of average precipitation to end the drought — rainfall has been erratic and the Sierra snowpack is dismal.
“Snow in the mountains normally melts in the spring and summer, creating flow in our streams and rivers that keeps the state’s reservoirs from being drained so quickly,” Gallagher. “When there’s very little snow in the mountains, streams dry up and reservoir levels drop due to consumption, so our water supply will be exhausted quickly.”
Tri-Valley still relying on water reserves
DSRSD officials said its customers get their water from three main sources: state and local reservoirs, a large underground aquifer and mountain snowpack.
Even with rain, water stored in state reservoirs is low, officials said.
Lake Oroville, which provides 80% of water delivered to the Tri-Valley via the State Water Project (SWP), is currently at 46% of capacity.
Lake Del Valle, which the Tri-Valley shares with Alameda County and Santa Clara Valley water districts, is a smaller reservoir that mostly provides flood protection. Normally Lake Del Valle provides around 10% of DSRSD’s water supply.
The Tri-Valley’s underground aquifer, when not in the midst of a drought, supplies 10% of water used in the Tri-Valley.
The Zone 7 Water Agency, the Tri-Valley’s wholesale supplier, artificially recharges the aquifer when water is available from the SWP and monitors the recovery of the aquifer after last year’s increased use. According to DSRSD officials, Zone 7 hasn’t recharged the groundwater so the aquifer is not recovering.
Residential recycled water fill station
As an alternative to drinking water, Tri-Valley residents can use recycled water for non-potable uses, such as outdoor irrigation.
DSRSD provides a recycled water fill station where homeowners can fill up containers (maximum 300 gallons per visit, unlimited visits per day) with free recycled water.
The fill station is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, except when it rains.
More information can be found online.
I turned my sprinklers off at the first rain and they haven’t been on since. Nothing has died.