By: Brian Jacobson
Public Information Officer
Public Affairs & Communications Dept., City of Roseville
On January 17, Governor Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency. We are in the midst of a record breaking prolonged period of dry weather. Precipitation was below normal for the last two years and this rain season has broken a record, the driest stretch of time with no rain, beating a very dry 1884. The snowpack and Folsom Reservoir’s levels are extremely low.
It won’t be “business as usual” this spring and summer. The City is requesting a voluntary 20 percent reduction in water use over the previous years use from our customers. We strongly encourage no outdoor irrigation. Outdoor irrigation is about 50 percent of a typical home’s water use and the biggest opportunity to save water. We are all in this together and need your help.
We have also begun using our four back-up groundwater wells to ease demand on Folsom Reservoir. Water from the wells is perfectly safe to drink, meeting state and federal water quality standards. We have set up a webpage to answer questions about this at www.roseville.ca.us/wells<http://www.roseville.ca.us/wells>
The city has been proactively planning for drought conditions for many years including working on purchase agreements with our neighboring water districts, implementing an aquifer storage and recovery program and maintaining back up groundwater wells for situations like we face today.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation, as we have for the past several months.
The city has many resources to help you save water, monitor your water use and find areas in your home and yard where water may be wasted. These can be found at www.roseville.ca.us/savewater<http://www.roseville.ca.us/savewater>
The images of Folsom Lake are shocking. This year is a real life example of the potential “dead pool” situation laid out in the latest version of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
Our community, and in fact, our entire state, deserves a plan that benefits all of California, a plan that secures a reliable water supply for everyone in our great state. One part of the state cannot be sacrificed for the prosperity of another.
The current drought underscores the fragility of the water system in California. We must fully understand the implications of the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan as to not make matters worse.
Making sure Roseville’s water supply is protected now and in the future is a priority for Roseville. Working with our regional partners, we have a significant effort underway and you can go to ProtectOurFolsomWater.com<http://protectourfolsomwater.com/> to learn more and sign up for alerts about how to make your voice heard. It is important to stay engaged on this issue and I urge you to do so.
