Salmon Creek Water Conservation Program

Overview

The Salmon Creek Water Conservation Program was developed out of the recognized need to increase dry season instream flows. Successive years of drought and increased water demand pressures are taking a toll on the creeks and on the watershed's ability to supply sufficient, high quality water. Juvenile salmon and steelhead trout need cold, flowing water to survive the summer. Many stretches of our creeks are going dry and the fish are dying.

Groundwater sources are often inadequate and existing wells are losing production. Surface water sources are in limited supply and require water rights permits for use. Residents of the watershed need reliable, safe, and sustainable water supplies for homes, gardens, livestock and businesses. To support the needs of both the fish and the human residents of the Salmon Creek watershed, Program efforts are directed toward:

• describing extractive water usage in the watershed,
• identifying opportunities to reduce human water-demand impacts on streamflow,
• developing tools to promote water use efficiency and conservation, and
• supporting residents in implementing water conservation practices and developing alternative water sources.

This long-term program will take many years and collaboration among organizations, agencies, and landowners.

Current Activities and Tools

The Program has begun with a number of local organizations, funded by state and federal agencies, developing the following:

Water Conservation Plan (produced by Occidental Arts and Ecology Center's WATER Institute, Prunuske Chatham Inc., and Virginia Porter)
This document summarizes the Salmon Creek Water Conservation Program. It contains background information, recommendations, and tools developed to conserve water, improve existing water sources, and develop new storage-based sources, while protecting and increasing instream flows. Download the entire Salmon Creek Water Conservation Plan 7.3 MB pdf, or for specific pieces of the Plan, see below.

Water Consumption Analysis
Description of water demands in the Salmon Creek watershed that compares rural residential use, agriculture production, and community systems and provides an overview of groundwater and surface water supplies, their use, and their limitations.

Water Use Maps
These maps were generated as part of our Water Conservation Plan and can be viewed or downloaded separately by clicking on them below (available in jpg and pdf formats). For more detailed descriptions of these maps download and read the entire plan above.

Location Map of the Salmon Creek Watershed 2.1 MB jpg
Location Map of the Salmon Creek Watershed 9.0 MB pdf

Geologic Map of the Salmon Creek Watershed 2.0 MB jpg
Geologic Map of the Salmon Creek Watershed 6.4 MB pdf

Parcel Types By Water Use in the Salmon Creek Watershed 2.2 MB jpg
Parcel Types By Water Use in the Salmon Creek Watershed 1.5 MB pdf

Vineyards in Salmon Creek Watershed 2.9 MB jpg
Vineyards in Salmon Creek Watershed 9.0 MB pdf

Diversions in the Salmon Creek Watershed - by Diversion Type 2.1 MB jpg
Diversions in the Salmon Creek Watershed - by Diversion Type 9.1 MB pdf

Diversions in the Salmon Creek Watershed - by Water Rights Type 2.1 MB jpg
Diversions in the Salmon Creek Watershed - by Water Rights Type 1.5 MB pdf

Conservation Strategies

Tools for landowners and local communities to increase water conservation and reduce summer demands on groundwater and instream flow. Each strategy includes a brief summary of the topic, discussion of the target community, an assessment of the effect of implementation, a section describing "how to implement," and numerous tools and resources to facilitate implementation.

Feel free to download these and use them in your community.

1. Stream Restoration For Salmonids 4.4 MB pdf
2. Residential Self-Survey for Efficient Water Use 2.0 MB pdf
   calculator → Residential Water Use Calculator 44 KB xls
3. Low Water Gardening for Rural Coastal California Communities 2.2 MB pdf
4. Stormwater Management for Coastal California Communities 2.4 MB pdf
5. Roofwater Harvesting for Coastal California Communities 2.2 MB pdf
6. Conservation in the Hospitality Industry 1.5 MB pdf
7. Water Rates for Rural Coastal California Communities 1.4 MB pdf
8. Managing Water Systems in Rural Coastal California Communities 1.4 MB pdf

Community Water Supply Planning - Bodega Pilot Program

A demonstration project to show how alternative water supply approaches, paired with community water system efficiency improvements, can reduce demand on instream flows and improve habitat for salmonids. Read a description of the Bodega Planning Project, and see below for related implementation projects.

Recommendations

A list and description of recommended actions for restoring summer streamflows and ensuring sufficient, secure water supplies for Salmon Creek residents.

Education and Outreach

Public meetings and tours, workshops, and presentations have started and will continue. See notices of upcoming activities.

Implementation Projects

Success of the Program requires implementation of widespread water conservation efforts, as well as projects focused on reducing water extractions in critical areas. On-the-ground implementation projects include developing alternative water sources and recharging groundwater.
For over 10 years the Gold Ridge RCD has carried out such projects in our watershed using grant funds from a variety of the partners listed below to improve salmonid habitat, educate landowners and reduce water extractions in critical areas. Many individual roof water catchment systems for residential and agricultural uses have been installed in the Bodega Valley to reduce direct summer streamflow extractions from Salmon Creek.

Program Partners