North Bay Water Officials Welcome April Rains As Fire Season Approaches
SONOMA COUNTY (KPIX 5) – After a warm, dry start to April it's suddenly raining again. At least a little bit. But it won't add up to much.
There has been a lot of talk about how this was a bad winter, and Lake Sonoma is a great example.
The lake is as low as it has been at this time of year since the dam was built in the 1980s. This week's rain certainly will not change that.
"This kind of rain, unfortunately, doesn't do a lot for our water supply," said Barry Dugan with the Sonoma County Water Agency. "Particularly since we've had so little rain for most of the year."
Far too little, and too late to make any significant difference. For Sonoma Water, the only real payoff with this rain is some extra ground moisture.
"It will wet the ground and saturate soil so that if we do get a few more storms in April the runoff will be good so it would be beneficial," Dugan told KPIX 5. "Some rain is better than none."
"Will this delay the start of the fire season here locally, still too early to tell," said Santa Rosa Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal. "But again, it's a welcome sight."
On the fire front, spring rains are generally good news, especially after a warm stretch, but there are several factors to consider.
"So there is constantly a balancing game," Lowenthal explained. "Right now, the heavy fuels don't have the rain so they are dry. The rain is helpful, it's promoting the regrowth of light flashy fuels and keeping things green for a little bit longer. But you're right, it could lead to some new growth that could present new challenges as we head into fire season."
For the most part, the fire season, like the water year, is set.
"Yeah, from our standpoint right now, with what we've seen dry things are, this is a welcome sight," Lowenthal told KPIX 5. "Is it going to make much of an impact if this is all we get over the next couple days, then we're right back to warm, dry conditions again? Probably not."
"From a water supply standpoint, our message is still 'we are in a drought,'" Dugan said. "We need to make the best use of every drop that we have."
Sonoma is one of the areas that actually declares an official start and end to its fire season. Last year, it was May 17th.
