Books and resources on water

By The Downspout · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · 1 min read

Three books and a few free guides to start. Listed, not paid for.

Books

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Brad Lancaster. Volumes 1, 2 and 3. Practical ways to catch, slow and soak in rain on your land. Volume 1 is the one most people start with. The author sells signed copies on his site.
Create an Oasis with Greywater Art Ludwig. A guide to managing graywater in the landscape. Check California's graywater rules before you build. See laundry to landscape.

Slow It. Spread It. Sink It. Store It! Sonoma Resource Conservation District. A homeowner's guide to stormwater, written for Sonoma County. Read our summary: slow it, spread it, sink it.
Food Gardening With Less Water UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County. Our summary: grow vegetables with less water.

Russian River at Guerneville National Weather Service, California-Nevada River Forecast Center. River level now, the forecast and flood stages. See how the Russian River works.
ENSO updates NOAA Climate Prediction Center. The monthly El Niño and La Niña update. Our take: El Niño and Sonoma County water.
Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, UC San Diego. How storm forecasts help decide when Lake Mendocino holds or releases water.

Water Smart Plant Picker Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership. Low-water plants for our area. See drought tolerant plants.

These are listings, not paid placements. Know a book or guide that belongs here? Tell us.

Checked 2026-10-11. Rules and programs change. If something here is out of date, the source above wins. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.