Garden Plot: Think carefully about how to conserve water

My now-retired water storage system. (Diane Lynch / For The Ark)

We’re entering our annual drought season. You can count on no rain of any consequence from May until October or November at the earliest. This leaves us with no option except to turn on the spigot, unless you were smart — or hardworking — enough to have set up a system of capturing water from your downspouts. This would be something to plan now for next winter’s rains. Most of Marin’s water comes from the Mount Tamalpais watershed, which feeds five of the seven reservoirs in the county. About 75% of the county’s water supply is stored in these reservoirs, and the remainder comes from the Russian River.

Currently the reservoirs are at about 99% of capacity, which means there is about a three-year supply of water available should there be no rain for the next three years. Just a few years ago, the county was in real danger of running out of water while the Marin Municipal Water District board sat on their hands and commissioned more studies. Many of us remember the pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the ’70s and wonder why almost nothing but conservation, good luck and rainy winters have been the only plan since the capacity of the reservoirs was increased in 1985. DONATE to support local journalism, or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and access to the digital replica.

Comment on this article on Nextdoor.