Reservoir levels reaffirm cries to conserve

Keep the sprinklers off is the official message to customers of the Dublin San Ramon Services District, officials said Friday.

Last week’s rain brought some relief from the drought, but the drought is still on, according to district officials. National Weather Service officials said last week’s rain brought seasonal rainfall totals for the year back to normal in most areas, but they also said people should continue to conserve.

DSRSD’s drought coordinator and operations manager Dan Gallagher said landscapes can get by without irrigation with the recent spring-like temperatures, long nights and occasional rain. He said the district’s water supply could be exhausted quickly without rain, since water supplies are low.

Gallagher said part of the district’s supply of water comes from snow in the Sierra and the level of snow there is dismal. Water supplies also come from state and local reservoirs and an underground aquifer.

The aquifer supplies 10 percent of the water used in the Tri-Valley and while the supplier of the water from the aquifer artificially recharges it, it has not done so in 12 months. Lake Oroville provides 80 percent of the Tri-Valley’s water and is at 46 percent of capacity.

Officials suggest using recycled water for non-potable uses such as outdoor irrigation. Water from the district’s Residential Recycled Water Fill Station is available to residents for free Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, except when it rains.

District officials plan to add additional hours when the days get longer and the rainy season ends. Instructions for using the fill station can be found at www.dsrsd.com/free-recycled-water.

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