
Current Drought Information
Due to historically low rainfall and continued dry conditions, our region is facing the third consecutive year of drought. A reduction in water use through conservation measures by the City’s water customers is needed to preserve critical water supplies.
Learn more about stage 2 water conservation measures, report water waste and get answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
Photo: Councilmembers Kelso Barnett and Jack Ding along with Mike Brett, the City's water conservation coordinator, handed out drought kits during Sonoma Water's 'Drought Drop By' event in June 2021.
Stage 2 Water Shortage Effective July 1, 2021
On June 21, in response to notification of reduced allocations of water from the Russian River through the Sonoma Aqueduct, the City Council unanimously voted to declare a Stage 2 Mandatory Conservation Water Shortage for the City of Sonoma water service area.
Help Sonoma reduce water use by 20%
We are asking customers to save as much water as they can. The City of Sonoma has mandated a 20 percent reduction in overall water use in our service area.
Some customers can reduce their water use by more than 20%, while others are already saving water and using minimal amounts. With all of us making our best effort to save water, we can reach our collective conservation goal.

How much water are we saving?
City water customers' water conservation efforts from July 2021 through January 2022 have resulted in a 19.77% overall reduction in water use. Our goal is to reach a 20% overall reduction.
Keep up the good work Sonoma! Your water savings directly help save water in our reservoirs. Reservoirs are still at historic lows and it is unlikely that our region will get enough rain this spring to bring their storage levels up to normal and bring an end to the drought. Ongoing conservation is still needed in order to save the water we did receive and prepare for future possible dry months ahead.
City of Sonoma water use reported to the State Water Board for the month of:
July 2021: 3.8% reduction in water use
(July 2020, 263.9099 AF / July 2021, 253.881 AF)
August 2021: 25.12 % reduction in water use
(August 2020, 262.8634 AF / August 2021, 196.842 AF)
September 2021: 23.9% reduction in water use
(September 2020, 245.7568 AF / September 2021, 187.07 AF)
October 2021: 22.7% reduction in water use
(October 2020, 220.361 AF/ October 2021, 170.33 AF)
November 2021: 46.25% reduction in water use
(November 2020, 166.456 AF / November 2021, 89.4783 AF)
December 2021: 11.4% reduction in water use
(December 2020, 117.672 AF / December 2021, 104.254 AF)
January 2022: 6.16% increase in water use
(January 2021, 87.4618 AF / January 2022, 92.8520 AF)
Resources & Information
Background
On June 7, the City Council declared a Stage 1 Water Shortage with voluntary conservation measures. Under Stage 1, all Sonoma residents, businesses, schools, and City facilities are urged to cut their indoor and outdoor water use by at least 15% and put in place Stage 1 water conservation measures.
On June 21, in response to notification of reduced allocations of water from the Russian River through the Sonoma Aqueduct, the City Council unanimously voted to declare a Stage 2 Mandatory Conservation Water Shortage for the City of Sonoma water service area, effective July 1, 2021. Stage 2 requires a 20% reduction in water use system-wide and a series of additional water conservation regulations, including a prohibition on residential and commercial irrigation except on Mondays and Thursdays from 8pm to 6am. Learn more about Stage 2 water conservation measures here.