Sonoma and Marin water use is 21% below 2013, but your supplier's number may differ a lot

By The Downspout · Posted Nov 2, 2026 · 3 min read

Twelve water suppliers in Sonoma and Marin counties sent out 21 percent less water in September 2026 than in September 2013. The first nine months of 2026 are also 21 percent below 2013. By supplier, the drop ranged from 6 percent (City of Sonoma) to 52 percent (Valley of the Moon Water District), according to a report posted for a November 2 Sonoma Water meeting.

What the report covers

The Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership is a group of 13 water utilities in Sonoma and Marin counties that work together on conservation programs. Members include the cities of Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg and Cloverdale, the Town of Windsor, and Valley of the Moon Water District.

Sonoma Water, also a member, is the agency that runs the aqueduct system that delivers water to many local cities and districts. It posted the partnership's latest water use report for a November 2 meeting of its Water Advisory Committee and Technical Advisory Committee. The Water Advisory Committee is made up of elected officials from the cities and districts that get water from Sonoma Water. It advises Sonoma Water's board. The report's table lists 12 suppliers. Sonoma Water is not in it.

Each number compares a supplier's water deliveries to the same period in 2013. 2013 was chosen as the comparison year under a state executive order.

What happened

In September 2013 the 12 suppliers sent out about 2.89 billion gallons. In September 2026 it was about 2.28 billion. That is about 612 million gallons less, or 21 percent below 2013.

Over the first nine months of 2026 the drop adds up to about 4.8 billion gallons, also 21 percent below 2013.

Every supplier was below its 2013 level in September. The biggest drop was Valley of the Moon Water District at 52 percent. The smallest was the City of Sonoma at 6 percent. In order:

Valley of the Moon Water District: 52 percent below.
Cloverdale: 38 percent below.
North Marin Water District: 28 percent below.
Marin Municipal Water District: 22 percent below.
Healdsburg, Petaluma and Windsor: 21 percent below each.
Santa Rosa: 17 percent below.
California American Water (Cal Am): 13 percent below.
Cotati and Rohnert Park: 9 percent below each.
City of Sonoma: 6 percent below.

Year to date, the City of Sonoma is 17 percent below 2013, much closer to the group than its September number. Cotati is 14 percent below and Rohnert Park is 8 percent below.

These are total deliveries. The report does not say how much goes to homes and how much to other uses. It also does not say why use is down or why suppliers differ.

What it means for you

The report sets no rules for homes. It compares suppliers.

To use it, check your water bill for your supplier's name. Find it in the list above. A small number, like 6 or 9 percent, means that supplier's deliveries are closer to their 2013 level than most.

Our leaning is toward conserving water. Local rebates and programs are listed on our rebates and programs page. If your bill looks high, see why is my water bill so high.

Also this week: salmon counted on the Russian River

The same meeting packet included a fish update. A fish ladder is a series of resting pools that lets fish swim past a dam. Sonoma Water installed a video camera in the Mirabel fish ladder on September 1, 2026. Sonoma Water's page on the Russian River fish ladder says its inflatable dam is downstream of Wohler Bridge near Forestville.

Staff reviewed footage through October 21. They counted 1,116 Chinook salmon passing through. The highest count so far was 307 fish on October 4. The update says rain, air pressure changes and higher river flow can trigger fish to move.

The camera runs until Sonoma Water lowers the dam. That happens when river flow is predicted to go above 1,600 cubic feet per second, a measure of how much water passes a point each second. The update says that usually happens between mid-November and mid-December. Sonoma Water has run a camera in the main Russian River since 2000.

The update also says the river mouth at the ocean closed on October 14 and opened by itself on October 27.

What happens next

The next combined meeting of the two committees is February 1, 2027. The fish update says no public meetings are scheduled at this time. For more on salmon and the river, see salmon run in Sonoma County and the Russian River system.

Where this came from

The agenda, the water use report (agenda item 10a) and the Russian River fish update (item 11) for the November 2, 2026 meeting of Sonoma Water's two advisory committees. Background on the partnership, the committee and the fish ladder comes from the partnership's and Sonoma Water's own web pages.

Sources

Checked 2026-11-02. Rules and programs change. If something here is out of date, the source above wins. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.