In Fire Weather, Broom a Particular Concern

Due to high fire danger, the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed is closed until sunrise tomorrow morning, May 2. [Update: The closure has been extended until noon, May 2.] The National Weather Service forecast calls for dry, hot, windy conditions, which can contribute to the ignition and rapid spread of wildfire. Our first Red Flag day comes extraordinarily early this year due to a record dry spring.

Volunteers work to remove a thicket of invasive broom on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed.

In fire weather, one of the species that causes particular concern on the watershed is highly invasive French broom. This weed grows densely and spreads rapidly, choking out native species, invading fuel breaks and fire roads, and creating a flammable understory. MMWD is working to control the spread of broom on water district lands to reduce fire hazards and protect the unique biodiversity of the watershed.

Read more about broom in the current issue of the National Park Service’s Fire and Fuels News.

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Reservoirs Average as Irrigation Season Approaches

Despite an unusually dry spring, MMWD’s reservoirs are at average levels for this time of year.

Even though 2013 is continuing to be unusually dry, reservoir levels are at average levels for this time of year.

Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels: As of April 21, reservoir storage was 72,909 acre-feet,* or 92 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 72,441 acre-feet, or 91 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Rainfall: Rainfall this year (July 1, 2012 to April 21, 2013) is 38.42 inches. Last year for the same period we had 39.83 inches; average is 49.50 inches.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending April 21 averaged 25.0 million gallons per day, compared to 19.0 million gallons per day for the same week last year.

Supply Source: Last week we averaged 19.0 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 6.0 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of March MMWD released 584 million gallons, or a total of 1,792 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreements with the State of California.

Current water use and reservoir figures can be found on our homepage.

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

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MMWD Director Cynthia Koehler to Receive Bay Institute Honor

Cynthia Koehler

Congratulations, MMWD Director Cynthia Koehler! On Thursday, April 11, 2013, Koehler will receive The Bay Institute’s Bay Heroes Award. The newest of the annual awards given out by The Bay Institute, the Bay Heroes Award was created in 2011 to honor individuals whose efforts have led to increased protection of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

Koehler, who is also the director of programs for Carpe Diem West, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of healthy headwaters throughout the Western United States, was chosen for the award for her service as the California water legislative director for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Koehler served as a chief negotiator for the historic 2009 Bay Delta Water Reform Act and led the State Water Resources Control Board’s 2010 decision, for the first time, to establish public trust flow criteria for the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary.

Koehler will receive her award at The Bay Institute’s annual recognition event this Thursday to honor selected individuals for their outstanding achievements in protecting and restoring the San Francisco Bay. The evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception in the lobby of the Bay Theater at Aquarium of the Bay before the awards ceremony commences inside the theater.

Since 1992, The Bay Institute has recognized people within the community that have continually shown support for and made significant contributions to the San Francisco Bay and its watershed. The Bay Institute is the leader in protecting and restoring the entire watershed which drains into San Francisco Bay.

Koehler represents Mill Valley and surrounding communities on the MMWD Board of Directors. She has been on the board since January 2005. This year she is serving as the chair of the MMWD Finance Committee.

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Dry Spell Continues; Reservoirs Still Above Average

The dry period that started with the beginning of the year has continued right through the month of March. Average rainfall for March is 7.39 inches; March 2013 rainfall to date is 0.82 inches. The record low of zero inches of rain for March occurred in 1923.

Our reservoir storage levels are still above average, although the gap is narrowing compared to what it was earlier in the season.

Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels: As of March 24 reservoir storage is 74,869 acre-feet,* or 94 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 72,917 acre-feet, or 92 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Rainfall: Rainfall this year (July 1, 2012 to March 24, 2013) is 36.20 inches. Last year for the same period we had 33.26 inches; average is 45.23 inches.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending March 24 averaged 20.6 million gallons per day, compared to 16.4 million gallons per day for the same week last year.

Supply Source: Last week we averaged 14.8 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 5.8 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of February 2013 MMWD released 537 million gallons, or a total of 1,648 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreements with the State of California.

Current water use and reservoir figures can be found on our homepage.

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

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Record Low Rainfall and Above Average Storage

Yes, that’s right. We expect to set a low rainfall record this year for the January-February time frame even though our reservoir storage levels are above average. With only 2.07 inches of rain received at Lake Lagunitas since the first of the year, and no rain in the forecast for the remaining days of February, we are on track to set a new record low for January-February rainfall. The previous low of 3.43 inches dates back to 1920. Average rainfall for January and February combined is about 20 inches.

Paradoxically, our reservoir storage levels are actually above average at 97 percent of capacity today compared to the average of 88 percent. Why? Two reasons: one, we entered the rainy season last fall with above-average storage and two, we had an extremely rainy November and December. We received 29.27 inches in the last two months of 2012, nearly double the average of 15 inches for that two-month period.

Here are the current water statistics:

• Reservoir Levels – As of February 25 reservoir storage is 77,196 acre-feet,* or 97 percent of capacity. The average for this date is 70,074 acre-feet, or 88 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

• Rainfall – Rainfall this year (July 1, 2012 to February 25, 2013) is 35.38 inches. Last year for the same period we had 18.45 inches; average is 38.45 inches.

• Water Use – Water use for the week ending February 25 averaged 17.4 million gallons per day, compared to 17.1 million gallons per day for the same week last year.

• Creek Releases – During the month of January 2013 MMWD released 376 million gallons, or a total of 1,155 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreement with the State of California.

Current water use and reservoir figures can be found on the homepage of our website.

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

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New Footbridge Improves Trail System and Protects Creek

Completed bridge over Little Carson Creek. For more pictures, see our Facebook album.

Over a three-week period in February, crews from MMWD’s Watershed Maintenance staff and Conservation Corps North Bay built a beautiful log footbridge over Little Carson Creek on the east side of Kent Lake. The new bridge, located at the foot of Little Carson Trail in an area called Big Trees Grove, was built to keep foot traffic out of the creek. It is part of a larger project designed to improve water quality and fisheries habitat while creating a safer and more sustainable hiking trail. Other future elements of the project include converting a 100-year-old logging road to a trail and removing two culverts to minimize road-related sediment delivery to Little Carson Creek and Kent Lake.

The base and footings of the footbridge were made from a large, 48-inch diameter, 50-foot long redwood tree that had fallen many years ago near the work site. Based on the tree’s rings, MMWD Watershed Maintenance Supervisor Carl Sanders estimated its age at over 300 years old when it fell. Using ropes and cables, the crews were able to drag the tree 200 feet upstream without damaging the stream and its banks.

The handrails, made from a smaller redwood tree, are attached to the log base by mortise and tenon joinery. The completed bridge enhances the natural beauty of the grove and allows hikers to cross the stream safely without damaging the stream and its banks.

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Reservoir Levels Still High Despite Dry January

Reservoir levels are still well above average at 99.4 percent of capacity in spite of an extremely dry January. We received just 1.26 inches of rain this month, well below the January average of 10.93 inches. The last time we had a dry January was in 2008, when we received just 1.08 inches. This month’s rainfall is a stark contrast to the first half of the 2012/13 rainy season. By December 31, 2012, we had received 33.31 inches, compared to the yearly average of 19.64 for the same date.

Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels: As of January 27, reservoir storage is 79,082 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 64,842 acre-feet, or 81.5 percent of capacity. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Rainfall: Rainfall this year (July 1, 2012, to January 27, 2012) is 34.57 inches. Last year for the same period we had 16.93 inches; average is 28.85 inches.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending January 27 averaged 16.6 million gallons per day, exactly the same as water use for the same week last year.

Supply Source: Last week we averaged 11.6 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 5.0 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of December 2012, MMWD released 142 million gallons, or a total of 434 acre-feet, into Lagunitas and Walker creeks in west Marin. We release water throughout the year to maintain adequate flows for the fishery per our agreement with the State of California.

Current water use and reservoir figures can be found on our homepage.

*One acre-foot is 325,851 gallons.

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Alert Marin: Register Your Cell or VoIP Phone to Receive Emergency Alerts

Where will you be when an emergency strikes? At the grocery store, at work in another county, driving home, or hiking on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed? If you are not near your landline or no longer have one, you’ll miss the critical call from the Office of Emergency Services with important instructions that could affect you and your family.

If you live, work or go to school in Marin County and are 18 and over, you can now register your cell phone and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone number on the secure self-registration portal, alertmarin.org, to receive emergency alerts by text, voice and email.

The cell phone self-registration portal is an important upgrade to Marin County’s Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS). TENS is a high-speed communications system that can quickly notify members of the public by phone of critical emergency information in situations where property or human life is in danger. MMWD is partnering with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services to spread the word about this expanded notification system.

Landline phone numbers are already included in the emergency notification system, but cell phone numbers are not in the system until you register them. You may register multiple street addresses for notification, such as home, work or your children’s school. However, each street address requires a separate registration with a unique primary email. You may list two cell numbers and one VoIP number per email address.

Don’t take chances. Visit the self-registration portal today.

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Engaging Youth in the Environment Is Focus of 36th Annual BAEER Fair on January 19

The 36th annual Bay Area Environmental Education Resource (BAEER) Fair is just around the corner on Saturday, January 19, 2013. This resource-rich event is designed for teachers, community educators, students, families and all concerned about the environment we share.

Drop by MMWD’s booth for information on our free school education programs in water conservation and watershed ecology and restoration.

For those 18 or older, sign up for our Frog Docent training on March 2. The foothill yellow-legged frog is native to parts of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed and is listed as both a federal and state species of “special concern.” MMWD needs help from the community to stop the decline and help restore a healthy population within the watershed.

For those eight years or older, sign up for our Turtle Observer training on March 23 to help us monitor and record activity of California’s only native fresh water turtle, the Western pond turtle, a federally listed “vulnerable species.” This program is great for students, families or individuals.

The BAEER Fair is from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Marin Civic Center located in San Rafael. General admission is $12.00, high school students and seniors $10.00, youth $8.00 and children 6 and under are free. Admission to the event is paid at the entrance door. Check out the BAEER website to learn more about the 2013 workshops and exhibitors, and visit MMWD’s website to discover our free water education programs for schools in our service area.

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Start the New Year as a Volunteer Citizen Scientist

MMWD and the California Academy of Sciences are seeking botanically oriented individuals to join our returning volunteers for the 2013 bioblitz field season. Plant and photography enthusiasts are particularly welcome. A bioblitz is a focused survey in a defined location that attempts to document all species present.

For example, at one bioblitz last June, six teams of people fanned out to different locations on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed for one day to collect and photograph all the plants in a specific area. Together, they made 162 observations (collections and/or photographs) and collected 107 specimens.

Science and environmental reporter Jacoba Charles participated in the June bioblitz and produced a wonderful audio piece on her experience for KWMR Radio in West Marin. We combined Jacoba’s audio with photographs captured by our volunteer citizen scientists to create a snapshot in pictures and sounds of a day in the life of a “bioblitzer”:

We hope you’ll be inspired to volunteer for the second year of our three-year bioblitz program to document all the plant species on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed. So far, we’ve collected more than 300 species, or one-third of the roughly 900 different species on the watershed!

This year, our goal is to collect between 300 and 400 specimens from select locations between Potrero Meadow and Alpine Lake. Sampling expeditions are scheduled throughout the spring and summer.

A six-hour orientation and field training session will be held on Saturday, February 23. For more information, please leave your name and contact information on our volunteer hotline at (415) 945-1128 or e-mail us at volunteerprogram@marinwater.org.

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