The county's Water Resources and Special Districts departments took the water conservation resolution to the board.
Tom Smythe, a water engineer with Water Resources, said over the last two weeks the county's precipitation for the year has doubled.
“The problem is, we're still only about 50 to 60 percent of average, so we're still in a drought situation,” said Smythe.
Wells that Water Resources monitors throughout Lake County were found to be down as much as 17 feet below average for this month, said Smythe.
Wells were found 6 feet below average in Big Valley, 12 feet below in Scotts Valley, 4 feet below in Upper Lake and Cobb was found to be 4 feet below the fall average, Smythe explained.
Two weeks ago, Clear Lake was slightly above 1 foot Rumsey, the lowest lake level since 1991, said Smythe. Rumsey is a special measure used specifically for Clear Lake. A full lake is 7.56 feet Rumsey.
On Feb. 9, when Water Resources was taking readings, staff noticed the first significant flows into local creeks so far this year, said Smythe.
Smythe said the Lakeport area has had about 7 inches of rain in the last few weeks. The rain caused wells to rise 2 feet in Big Valley and 6 feet in Scotts Valley. Wells in Upper Lake also showed improvement.
“If we have a normal spring we'll be fine in our groundwater levels,” said Smythe.
However, if the storm door shuts like it did last February, “then we're going to be in some real trouble,” Smythe added.
Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District only has 26,000 acre feet of usable storage in Indian Valley Reservoir, and the district needs 80,000 to 90,000 for its irrigation needs, Smythe said.
Clear Lake itself has shown improvements, rising to 2.60 on Tuesday following the rains. Smythe said it's still a long way to the 3.22 level needed by May 1 for Yolo Flood – which holds the water rights to the lake – to be able to take its annual water allocation.
Water Resources will have a much better idea in about a month what this summer's water supply is likely to look like, said Smythe.
Board Chair Denise Rushing asked if the resolution's proposed measures were voluntary or mandatory. Smythe replied that the resolution didn't say specifically, since the board only has legal authority over customers in Special Districts.
Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger said he would be coming back to the board for mandatory measures if dry conditions continue, but they're not there yet.
He cautioned that, even if rain hits normal levels, they could still have problems due to the 3 feet of estimated evaporation that is lost from Clear Lake every summer.
After Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's drought announcement last summer, Special Districts sent out conservation notices to its customers, said Dellinger.
“We're in a much different situation now and it's just getting worse,” Dellinger said.
Rushing asked when they re-average season averages that have been used for years. “We're in very different climate times, really,” she said.
Smythe said they have about 45 years of local water records, but only have about 25 to 30 years of monthly water average information.
Rushing asked if they had seen any significant trends over the last 10 years. Smythe said no.
Supervisor Rob Brown said the resolution serves more as a reminder that it's going to be a tough year. However, if they want to pursue water conservation, he suggested they needed to do something more significant, including addressing brush control. Brush sucks up a lot of groundwater, and Brown said they needed to bring back control burns.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington added if the board is serious about water conservation, they need to begin looking at mandatory measures now and not wait until the situation worsens.
Agreeing with both Brown and Farrington was Supervisor Jim Comstock, who said the county needed to have mandatory water restrictions in the works, since the county could be in trouble if the rain doesn't continue over the next month.
“Let's have a contingency plan and let's burn some brush. Let's burn a lot of brush,” he said.
Rushing said the effort also needed education.
Dellinger said Special Districts saw between 10 and 15 percent conservation after it made its voluntary conservation request last summer.
Rushing said she believed the community would step up. “This could be dire. Even though we've had the last week of rainfall, if it doesn't turn around we could be in trouble.”
Brown said he wanted county staff to bring back a full package of options on how the county can address a water shortage.
Former Northshore Supervisor Louise Talley said some people are allergic to the smoke of control burns, and she urged the board to be judicious in allowing the burns.
Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the major problem with control burns is funding to cover them. Brown said many property owners don't expect to get funding for cleaning up their property.
Mel Aust, general manager of Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District, said there are many ways to solve the county's water issues. He said his board asked him to come and speak in favor of the conservation measures the county is considering.
Aust said they needed to recognize that not all of Lake County's water is hydrologically connected. He also supported Brown's suggestion to come up with a complete plan to approach the potential water shortage.
Many water purveyors have ordinances to deal with different stages of water supply, said Aust.
“It's a great opportunity for the purveyors to work with the county,” Aust added.
The board approved the resolution 5-0.
Dellinger added, “I want the customers to know this is serious.”
He said the county sent out conservation notices in 2006 and 2007 and has had an educational program for years.
“We're hopeful this will work but we may have to consider the next step,” Dellinger said.
Support for manufacturing facility, resolution opposing septic tank rules
In other board action on Tuesday, the board approved a letter of support for Advanced Housing Technologies LLC's application to be included in a federal appropriations bill.
The firm, headed by Kelseyville resident Clovice Lewis, has been under the radar because they're developing proprietary, patented systems.
Lewis called Advanced Housing Technologies, which seeks to build green temporary housing solutions, a “software company masquerading as a housing company.”
He told the board that the company is applying for government funds to build demonstration systems. He explained that one of the worst experiences of his life was staying in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer on the Gulf Coast in 2006.
The basic premise of the company's plans is to build computer-controlled temporary housing, Lewis said.
The company proposes to build a research and development facility, along with a manufacturing component, in Lake County, which could employ as many as 300 people, according to documents provided to the county. Eventually, they would build a facility in the Midwest as well.
Lewis said they're developing the “house to go,” along with the “neighborhood to go” and a “factory to go” to respond to emergency housing needs.
“All of that technology is going to be developed here in Lake County. That's the idea,” Lewis said.
Rushing asked Lewis why he chose Lake County. Besides the fact that he lives here, Lewis said Lake County is in a good position for clean industry, citing the county's dedication last week of a 2.2-megawatt solar installation.
Farrington moved to approve the letter, with the addition of a stipulation that the company's proposed facilities be located in Lake County. The board unanimously supported the letter.
The board also unanimously supported a resolution Comstock brought forward that opposed the state's proposed regulations on septic tank systems, based on AB 885.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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