As water storages dwindle and rainfall eludes the Golden State, Santa Rosa Junior College students may have to think differently about their water usage.

After the driest year on record in 2013, Governor Jerry Brown declared a Drought State of Emergency on Jan. 20, urging Californians to reduce their water usage by 20 percent.

Conservation          

Brad Sherwood, Sonoma County Water Agency’s community and government affairs manager, said that saving water is a part of life in California and Sonoma County.

But with so much at stake after so many consecutive dry years, Sonoma County residents must further reduce how much water they use.

“We have seen great improvements in conservation, efficiency, recycling and reuse in Sonoma County, and this will continue to grow as we face this emergency state of drought,” said Kasey Wade, SRJC professor in the Environmental Conservation Program.

Russian River watershed partners and Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership have centralized conservation efforts with the slogan: “The Drought Is On. Turn The Water Off.”

With no rain feeding the rivers and low rivers barely filling reservoirs, the time to conserve is now.

Agriculture

Shone Farm, which offers students hands-on experience through the SRJC Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, is forced to cope with the lack of rainfall.

The food grown at Shone Farm is sold to high-end restaurants, donated to the SRJC Culinary Cafe and distributed to consumers through Community Supported Agriculture [CSA] boxes. Shone Farm also sells its grapes to local wineries and has its own Shone Farm wine label.

Shone Farm’s 365 acres– containing livestock, row crops, an orchard, a vineyard, a forest and pastures– provides a snapshot of how the drought is affecting a variety of agricultural industries.

“For one, we are currently having to irrigate winter crops and cover crops in the middle of January to compensate for a lack of rain that is usually more than sufficient this time of year,” said sustainable agriculture professor Robert Landry, who knows first hand about the irrigation system at Shone Farm, “Our pastures are receiving irrigation inputs as well.”

It is essential for the soil to be moist going into the summer, but with no rain, farmers are forced to use more irrigated water.

“Farmers in California are already seeking federal aid due to the drought conditions statewide. Clearly, an extended dry spell will affect food production. We also run the risk of millions of acres of irrigated land drying up,” Wade said.

SRJC viticulture student Lori Bisordi, a fifth-generation farmer and vice president of the Agriculture Ambassadors, has spent time at Shone Farm.

Agriculture Ambassadors is a student-led program that promotes agriculture and agriculture practices. It is one of the few clubs on campus for which students can receive units.

“This drought has caused water shortages, cutting farmers off from one of the most essential parts of agriculture: water,” Bisordi said.

California has endured dry years since 2012, and state officials predict 2014 will be the driest on record.

If the drought continues, low-income communities with many households relying on agricultural work could face higher unemployment rates.

“This drought inhibits growth, making it more costly for those agriculturalists trying to provide food and fibers to the consumers,” Bisordi said.

“An example is the cost of feed for livestock rising due to how expensive it was for the farmer who produced those grains.”

No Rain, No Snow

Though farmers are the first to feel the effects of a water shortage, the drought has seeped into the lives of everyday SRJC students like Christian Chavez.

“I noticed the rain is coming late. My back yard is still brown and ugly when it should be green,” Chavez said. “The roses are blooming early this year, which is really weird also.”

Ski resorts in Lake Tahoe, like Heavenly, are producing fake snow to keep some runs open, but there isn’t enough snow on the ground to ski to the bottom of the California side.

Snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains is a sparse 20 percent of the average.

Low precipitation, combined with rain melting the snow pack, has left growing cities in Southern California and agricultural communities in the Central Valley competing for limited resources.

Since the Sierra snowpack provides most Californians with year-round water supplies, drinking water storages are also at risk.

“Places like Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California really wouldn’t be able to support the populations they have without imported water from other parts of the state,” said SRJC environmental science professor Katie Gerber.

Rivers and Lakes

High-pressure weather systems and a lack of precipitation caused tributaries leading into the Russian River to dry up over the last couple of years.

According to the SCWA, rainfall in the upper Russian River Ukiah Basin was 7.7 inches in 2013, the driest year on record, compared to the average rainfall of 34 inches.

The lack of rain has reduced the flow of the Russian River, the water source of Sonoma County residents.

“Sonoma County is in a somewhat different position than many other municipalities or regions in California in that we rely primarily on groundwater and near-surface water that is associated with the flow of the Russian River,” Gerber said.

The Russian River is the lifeblood for Shone Farm and Sonoma County’s agriculture and drinking water.

Lake Mendocino supports flow into the Russian River and provides drinking water for the cities of Ukiah, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Hopland.

According to the Sonoma County Water Agency, the lake is at 38 percent of storage capacity.

To conserve the remaining water, SCWA officials reduced flow into the Russian River from Lake Mendocino. SCWA fish monitoring shows no immediate concerns with aqua life over the decision to reduce flow into the Russian River.

But the tributaries flowing into the Russian River do more than just provide water for human consumption.

“These are habitats for coho [salmon] and other animals. This time of year there is normally water for these fish to migrate and spawn,” Sherwood said.

Coho salmon are an endangered species. If rain doesn’t fill the tributaries this month according to forecast predictions, the coho salmon will either die before spawning or be forced to lay their eggs in the main river where their chances of survival are greatly reduced.

Steelhead trout and Chinook salmon may also face endangerment if river levels remain the same. The SCWA counted 6,697 Chinook salmon in 2012 and 2,998 Chinooks in the 2013/14 season.

The Santa Rosa basin received just 5.7 inches of rainfall in 2013, compared to an average of 32.5 inches, but experts are not surprised.

“We rarely get the average precipitation,” Gerber said.

Lake Sonoma, four times larger than Lake Mendocino, is still at 68 percent of capacity with years of drinking water supply remaining, according to the SCWA. Santa Rosa, Windsor, Petaluma and other cities in Sonoma County tap Lake Sonoma for their drinking water.

Tips for conserving water:

• Only water yard and plants if necessary; don’t use a sprinkler.
• Consider replacing lawns with drought resistant plants.
• Only wash full loads of laundry and full dish loads.
• Don’t run the sink while you brush your teeth or shave.
• Don’t run the shower at full blast to heat up the water. Keep showers short.
• Check for any leaks in your plumbing, including running toilets.
• Use water saving appliances like low-flow toilets and showerheads.
• Use a broom to clean driveways, decks and sidewalks instead of the hose.
• Use a bucket of water instead of the hose to wash your car.