Drought Resources

Our region just experienced the third driest water year (October 2019 – September 2020) on record over the last 127 years (Sonoma Water, 2021). Our local communities and agricultural producers are already facing the challenges of drought with little to no rainfall and water storage levels well below average for this time of year. The RCD and our partners have been working closely with our agricultural partners to mitigate the effects of climate change through soil health, carbon farming, and water storage and development projects. This is all to ensure our lands and communities become more resilient to the impacts of prolonged drought. We currently do not have any immediate drought response funding, but we can provide technical assistance and will update this page to provide the latest resources available to you.

How the RCD can help.

Provide advice and technical assistance (via email, phone, or site visit) on:

Water management, use efficiency and conservation
Water storage
Livestock water systems
Long-term strategies to increase drought resilience in the future
Share additional resources and funding opportunities as they become available

Please email us at info@sonomarcd.org so we can direct your inquiry to the appropriate team member.

Latest Water Supply and Drought Conditions

Information on water supply and drought conditions:

Local water supply: https://www.sonomawater.org/dryyear

California Water Conditions: https://water.ca.gov/Current-Conditions

US Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

Resources for Farmers and Ranchers

DROUGHT RESOURCES for Farmers and Ranchers in Sonoma and Marin

RECURSOS DE SEQUÍA para Agricultores y ganaderos en Marin y Sonoma

Financial assistance for agriculture short- and long-term

CDFA’s new drought funding and resoruces page http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/drought/

USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides funding for livestock water, expanding water systems, getting water to underutilized forage areas as well as technical assistance.

In response to historic drought conditions, EQIP in California is currently offering over $22M to help ag producers, including Tribes, conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations. Signup for this targeted funding has begun, and NRCS will accept applications through July 12, 2021. More information including how to apply can be found here. California is one of only four states in the nation to pilot this important program to help alleviate the immediate impacts of drought and other natural resource challenges on working lands.

Technical information for agriculture

http://cesonoma.ucanr.edu/Disaster_Resources/Drought/

UCCE Sonoma – Strategies for dealing with drought in Sonoma County by topic:

Livestock & Range Management
Specialty Crops– Farming in Drought Conditions video series
Vineyards

UC Davis’ Rangeland Drought Hub – report drought conditions and impacts now via the conditions monitoring observations report (CMOR) and access rangeland drought resources.

UCANR Fact Sheets (English/Spanish): http://ciwr.ucanr.edu/california_drought_expertise/droughttips/

UCANR Videos “Insights: Water and Drought Online Seminar Series”

CAFF and SRCD virtual workshop: Farming During Drought – recording coming soon!

Sources of recycled water

Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) commercial truck fill facilities location guide PDF