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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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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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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Lagunitas Creek Spawner Update

by Eric Ettlinger

The holiday season is a tough time to keep up with regular spawner updates, and a lot has been happening in Lagunitas Creek over the last three weeks. Right after my previous update (12/17/12) we were hit by the second large storm of the season, which dropped over seven inches of rain. Stream flows peaked at 1,900 cubic feet per second and within a week Kent Lake began spilling. Flows have remained too high since then to conduct surveys in the main stem of Lagunitas Creek.

A pair of coho salmon spawn in Lagunitas Creek.

On December 27, the day before Kent Lake started to spill, MMWD biologists conducted a survey in the ½-mile reach between the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area and Peters Dam. They observed 28 coho and 12 new redds. Folks who visited the Fish Viewing Area around that time were lucky enough to witness the best salmon viewing in the last few years.

To date we’ve counted 320 live coho and 170 coho redds, which are the highest counts for early January since 2006. More than half of the redds found so far have been in San Geronimo Creek and Devil’s Gulch, where we’ve documented 49 and 42 coho redds, respectively. By the end of this week we’ll be able to once again survey the main stem of Lagunitas Creek, where we expect to find quite a few more coho redds.

MMWD fisheries intern Ariana Chiapella of the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project prepares to collect tissue samples from a spent female coho salmon.

The timing of spawning this season has been consistent with historical trends (see chart), so within the next three or four weeks coho spawning should essentially be over. But as coho decline, steelhead spawning will ramp up. We observed live steelhead for the first time last week in San Geronimo Creek. Steelhead spawning typically peaks in mid-February and continues through April. This year we’re expecting an above-average steelhead run to return to the Lagunitas Creek Watershed.

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PayPal Option Now Available for Annual Watershed Parking Passes

You can now purchase an annual parking pass to the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed using our website and PayPal. You don’t need a PayPal account to make your purchase. It’s fast, convenient and safe, and we’ll send your parking pass by standard mail directly to your door.

The passes are valid for one year from the date of issue and allow visitors to park in designated areas of the watershed that are accessed via Sky Oaks Road off Fairfax-Bolinas Road. The cost is $60 for Marin residents, $100 for out-of-county residents and $30 for seniors. Click this link for more information and to purchase an annual pass.

You can also purchase annual passes in person at our office at 220 Nellen Avenue in Corte Madera from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or you can download a parking pass form from our website and mail a check.

The Mt. Tamalpais Watershed encompasses 18,500 acres on the slopes of the mountain and offers incomparable opportunities to enjoy nature including hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and picnicking. Visitors will find scenic vistas, oak woodlands, meadows, evergreen forests, lakes, waterfalls and 150 miles of hiking trails and unpaved roads. The watershed is also home to great natural diversity including over 900 species of plants and 400 species of animals.

MMWD owns and manages the land as a primary source of drinking water for residents of central and southern Marin, with five of our seven reservoirs located on Mt. Tam. The watershed is open to the public daily from sunrise to sunset. Daily vehicle passes are $8.

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MMWD Reservoirs Reach 100 Percent Capacity

This year’s early, heavy rains have produced substantial runoff, bringing MMWD reservoirs to 100 percent of capacity. Water is now flowing over the spillway at Kent Lake, the district’s largest reservoir and the last to fill. In the past 20 years, the reservoirs have filled to capacity in December three other times: 2010, 2005 and 1996. More typically, the reservoirs reach their highest levels in late March. Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir storage as of December 28

Reservoir Levels: As of December 28, reservoir storage is 100 percent of capacity, or 79,566 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 72 percent, or 57,377 acre-feet.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending December 23 averaged 16.0 million gallons per day, somewhat lower than last year’s average of 18.4 million gallons per day. Last December was unusually dry.

Supply Source: Last week we averaged 10.6 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 5.4 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of November 2012, MMWD released more than 300 million gallons, or a total of nearly 1,000 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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Good Start to 2012-13 Rainy Season

Rainfall measured at Lake Lagunitas July 1 – November 20. Average annual rainfall (July 1 – June 30) is 52.65″.

The 2012-13 rainy season is off to a strong start, with recorded rainfall already above average for the year to date. As of November 20, rainfall at Lake Lagunitas measured 10.96 inches while average is 7.40. Total rainfall last year on the same date was 7.29 inches. Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels: As of November 20, reservoir storage is 74 percent of capacity, or 59,104 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 64 percent, or 51,096 acre-feet. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending November 18 averaged 17.8 million gallons per day, slightly lower than last year’s average of 18.3 million gallons per day.

Supply Source: This past week we averaged 12.3 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 5.5 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of October MMWD released 266 million gallons or a total of 817 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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Reservoirs above Average as Rainy Season Begins

Reservoir levels continue to be above average as we record the first noticeable rainfall of the season. Here are the current water statistics:

Reservoir Levels: As of October 29, reservoir levels are 75 percent of capacity, or 59,395 acre-feet.* The average for this date is 65 percent, or 51,656 acre-feet. Total capacity is 79,566 acre-feet.

Rainfall: Year-to-date rainfall (July 1 – October 28) is 3.13 inches, only slightly below the average of 3.23 inches.

Water Use: Water use for the week ending October 28 averaged 19.8 million gallons per day, somewhat lower than last year’s average of 24.5 million gallons per day for the same week.

Supply Source: This past week we averaged 14.9 million gallons per day from our reservoirs and 4.9 million gallons per day from the Russian River.

Creek Releases: During the month of September 2012 MMWD released 263 million gallons, or a total of 807 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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Our Oldest Reservoir, Lake Lagunitas, Pre-dates MMWD

The earthen dam that forms Lake Lagunitas was built in 1872 for $95,000 by William T. Coleman’s Marin County Water Company. Coleman established his company to facilitate the sale of real estate in his private development of Magnolia Park (now the Dominican neighborhood in San Rafael) and to supply other potential development in the San Rafael area and the state prison at San Quentin.

The dam was designed by Herman Schussler, chief engineer of the Spring Valley Water Company in San Francisco and built in less than four months by Chinese workers who were paid just $20 per month. The crest of the dam was 480 feet in length with a width along the crest of 20 feet. Capacity was estimated at 150,000 gallons, enough to last San Rafael for two years.

In December 1877, Marin County’s first telephone line was completed between the Marin County Water Company’s office on C Street in San Rafael and the lake keeper’s house about 100 yards below the dam (the cottage was destroyed by fire in 1925). The company built the 6 miles of line and rented the phone equipment for $5 per month.

The dam was raised two feet in 1912 (the same year MMWD was chartered) and another two feet in 1935 to its current capacity of 350 acre-feet or approximately 114 million gallons.

MMWD came into possession of the reservoir and surrounding watershed lands in 1916.

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