TWO ROCK, CA — Ranchers and farmers in this Sonoma County community are preparing for drought conditions by having municipal water trucked in from nearby Petaluma, The Press Democrat reported on February 9.
One dairy rancher, George McClelland, last week installed $13,000 worth of new water tanks at his ranch and pays $80 per load of municipal drinking water. He estimates that soon his ranch will need six loads daily, or about 36,000 gallons.
McClelland told The Press Democrat he was considering buying his own water truck as a way to reduce expenses.
Robert Muelrath, president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, uses highly treated municipal wastewater to grow pumpkins and squash and to irrigate pasture for feeding dairy heifers. He said in the article, “We're very concerned about how much water we’re going to have for irrigation.”
The Sonoma County Water Agency said in a February 2 announcement that reservoirs potentially could reach unprecedented low storage levels if rationing is not ordered and no significant amount of rain falls over the coming months. It urged its water contractors, the agricultural community and all others to implement water conservation measures, as WaterTech Online® reported.
Similar steps are being taken this year in a number of other California communities expecting a continuation of severe drought.
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