Water Rationing Could Be in the Forecast for Sonoma County

Remember that? It's called R-A-I-N. It's very wet and totally necessary. We haven't had much of it at all here in Northern California this winter, and the water managers are starting to sweat. (Hmmm...too bad you can't capture some of that for future use. See Dune or Space Plumbers for more ideas along this line.)

Anyway, it seems it's time to start preparing ourselves for the possibility of mandatory water rationing later this year. Yesterday's Press Democrat ran an article about it (Mandatory water rationing possible, by Robert Digitale), and the outlook is not good. In fact, according to Brad Sherwood, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Water Agency who is quoted in the article, “It’s looking horrible, disastrous actually.”

It sounds like rationing is not simply a possibility but is inevitable.

Hopefully, you've already updated at least some of the fixtures in your home to water-saving models. If you still have any of the old 3.5gpf - or even 5gpf - toilets, you really have got to get with the program. The County still has a rebate program to make it easier on the pocketbook to change those out. Napa County, same thing, there is a rebate program to help you get those water wasters out of the house.

If you have outside irrigation lines, it's good to have a shut-off between the outside water and the house supply in case we are asked to eliminate outside water use. That also helps if you spring a leak outside and need to get that water shut down without affecting water supply inside.

Think about it. There are all kinds of things we should be doing as a matter of course to use water most efficiently.

Aside from all that? Pray for rain!







(both photos by way of Wikimedia Commons)


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Boden Plumbing primarily serves Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, and the Petaluma area. We provide a full range of residential plumbing repairs and services.
866-663-7477
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