Rain in March and April has helped bolster the county's water supply, but Clear Lake still measured approximately 4.15 feet on the Rumsey gauge, according to a Saturday reading by the US Geological Survey. That compares to 7.02 feet Rumsey on April 11, 2008.
Rumsey is Clear Lake's natural level which is maintained by the Grigsby Riffle, a rock sill at the confluence of Cache and Siegler creeks near Lower Lake, according to the Lake County Water Resources Division. The natural lake level is zero Rumsey, or 1318.256 feet. A full lake is 7.56 feet Rumsey.
A review of lake levels shows that the current level is the lowest it's been since 1991, when the lake was under 4 feet Rumsey.
“We're pretty low,” said Tom Smythe, a water engineer with the county.
Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, which owns the right to Clear Lake, reported that the lake had 26,285 acre feet of water available to the district on Friday, down from 127,268 acre feet at this time last year. The lake was most recently releasing five cubic feet per second, down from 144 cubic feet per second released on April 10, 2008.
The lake must measure above 3.22 feet Rumsey on May 1 for Yolo Flood to be able to draw from it during the summer irrigation season, according to the Water Resources Division.
Indian Valley Reservoir's levels also are showing the impacts of the dry conditions.
Yolo Flood's report showed the reservoir's storage was 48,289 acre feet on Friday, compared with 118,925 acre feet last year, and released 11 cubic feet per second as opposed to the 470 cubic feet per second being released the same day a year ago. The district reported there has been five inches less of precipitation at this point in the season.
In February Water Resources and Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger took a resolution to the Board of Supervisors seeking voluntary water conservation from the local water and sewer districts it controls, as Lake County News has reported.
The board approved the resolution, and also asked county staff to look at potential mandatory measures if the water conditions didn't improve.
Smythe said he and Dellinger are scheduled to go to the Board of Supervisors later this month – possibly on April 21 – to give an update on the water situation.
The water conditions locally are similar to those around the state.
The state Department of Water Resources' latest snow survey showed the state's snowpack was 81 percent of normal in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
“A below-average snowpack at this time of year, especially following two consecutive dry years is a cause for concern,” said Water Resources Director Lester Snow.
The agency reported that the state's reservoirs also are extremely low. Lake Oroville, the principal storage reservoir for the State Water Project, recently was reported to be at 57 percent of capacity.
“Our most critical storage reservoirs remain low, and we face severe water supply problems in many parts of our state,” Snow said. “Californians must continue to save water at home and in their businesses.”
A March 30 update the Department of Water Resources looked at precipitation around the state, and reported the Lake County area had 80 percent of its normal rainfall between Oct. 1, 2008, and Feb. 29.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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