The Resilient Landscapes Coalition works to provide practical information to homeowners, landscape professionals and defensible space inspectors on how to implement fire-wise landscapes. The new website features resources on home hardening, landscape considerations, maintenance tips, plant selection and more. The creation of the website was funded by a grant from Ag+Open Space, as part of the PG&E settlement funds. The Resilient Landscapes Coalition is a partnership among Fire Safe Sonoma, Habitat Corridor Project, Sonoma Ecology Center, and the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County. 

Following a series of atmospheric river storms in January 2023, our region’s water supply reservoirs have rebounded from record low levels in December 2022 to be at or near full. This is truly great news after three consecutive years of low rainfall and dwindling surface water supplies at Lakes Sonoma and Mendocino. Our sincere thanks go out to everyone that did their part to use less water and that helped to bring us through this drought crisis. While it is important to celebrate this positive change and applaud our community’s water saving efforts, it is also important to recognize that…

See a recap the year's activities and progress towards water use efficiency goals. The Partnership's fiscal year 2021/2022 Annual Report is now available. Explore what our Partners and the community achieved here. FY 2021/2022 Annual Report View all Annual Reports

Join landscape professionals on February 7th to discuss practical practices to capture rainwater, carbon and greater potential in urban landscapes.

The welcome rainfall is a good start but hasn’t – yet -- appreciably improved local water supply conditions. The good news: The rain is providing welcome relief to thirsty animals, plants, fields and forests.Also on the positive side: Conditions in Lake Mendocino are marginally improving, with a slight increase in storage over the last week, reversing several months of declining levels.The not-so-great-news: Water storage levels in Lake Sonoma continue to decline, falling by 963 acre-feet over the last week, but recent storms have slowed down the rate of loss in storage. Lake Sonoma is now at its lowest level since…

Did you know you can help slow down climate change in your own yard through carbon gardening? Daily Acts and the Russian River Watershed Association have teamed up to show you how you can reduce the impacts of climate change, save water, increase wildlife habitat and so much more with simple landscaping practices. Check out their series of brief educational videos and related resources in both English and Spanish starting November 7th at dailyacts.org/carbongardens. Sonoma and Mendocino County residents who share their carbon gardening stories and photos with Daily Acts will receive a voucher for one free yard of organic…

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership (Partnership) with two 2022 WaterSense Awards for helping people save water, a 2022 Sustained Excellence Award for its ongoing success with its Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) program and a 2022 Partner of the Year Award for its promotional activities in 2021 amid a second year of drought. In recognition of their commitment to promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2021, the Partnership was honored today during the WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, along with 33 other awardees - utilities, manufacturers, builders,…

The City of Santa Rosa’s Water Department (Santa Rosa Water) is employing and combining innovative customer service tools that assist on-site managers with understanding when and how water is being used at commercial facilities. Santa Rosa Water invested in and paired their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) with companion data analytics tools to enhance the department’s customer service and demand management strategies. Every customer now has online access to hourly, daily, weekly and monthly water use data through the WaterSmart Portal. In addition, Santa Rosa Water offers customized assistance and comprehensive water-use audits of commercial customer facilities. By combining these resources,…

Rebates are available for both small and large rainwater capture systems. Rebates will be provided to Sonoma County residents based on a limited-time, first-come, first-served basis through a simple application process and proof of installation. This program is designed to reduce the barriers to installation by increasing the affordability of these systems and providing technical assistance for system design, installation, and troubleshooting. The program is made possible by a partnership of Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (GRRCD), Sonoma Resource Conservation District (Sonoma RCD), Daily Acts, County of Sonoma and the California Department of Water Resources. Learn More Please note, rainwater…

Keeping up with yard work can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Knowing what to do, how to do it, and when can make landscape maintenance much easier and less time consuming. The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership, in collaboration with Ann Baker Landscape Architecture, have published a guide for home owners new to maintaining a low water use landscape. The guide titled “Water Smart Gardens Maintenance Manual” is an easy to use, step-by-step instruction manual on how to care for and maintain the plants, drip irrigation systems, and green features like the ones offered in the Water Smart…

In case you missed the drought town hall event, check out the recording on Sonoma Water's website.

On January 18, 2022 the California State Water Board adopted an emergency drought regulations.