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The Downspout Sonoma County: From your roof to the Russian River. For your home and everything downstream.

A blue plastic rain barrel under a white downspout along a stucco house wall next to a wooden gate. Rain and storage · GuideAre rain barrels legal in California? Yes. Here is when you need a permitState law says you do not need a water right to use rainwater from your roof. A barrel or tank up to 5,000 gallons for drip or hose watering needs no permit if it sits on the ground, is no taller than twice its width, has no pump and is not hooked to tap water.
Rain and storageWhat is an atmospheric river? Sonoma County's biggest storms, rated 1 to 5Satellite view of a band of storm clouds stretching across the Pacific Ocean to the California coast.Stormwater and drainageWater in the crawl space after heavy rain: is it normal, and what should you do?Slatted wooden foundation vent on a tan stucco wall beneath a cracked concrete ledge.Stormwater and drainageDo you need a French drain? How to tell, what to try first, and where the water goesWhite PVC pipe discharging into a small wooden framed ground basin next to a wire fence.

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NewsThree Sonoma County groundwater agencies propose changes to their own rulesGreen grass beside a lake under a blue skyStormwater and drainageHow to stop erosion on a slope before the rains: straw, wattles and rootsA severe slope failure exposing brown dirt along a grass hillside with a leaning wooden fence.Rain and storageCan you drink rainwater? What's in it, and what it takes to drink itRaindrops falling and splashing onto the dark top of an outdoor rain collection barrel.NewsFour damaged sewer pipes near Lichau Creek in Penngrove get emergency repairGreen grass beside a lake under a blue skyTap water and supplyWhere does wastewater go after treatment? In Sonoma County, mostly up a mountainBare dirt ground with stepping stones and pipe cleanout caps next to a house corner.
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Tools for your home water

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Rain catch calculator for your roofA 1,000 square foot roof catches about 15,700 gallons in an average Santa Rosa year. Enter your ZIP and roof size to see yours.Well test plannerTell us when you last tested. We show what is due now, using Sonoma County Environmental Health's schedule.Water mapEnter an address or click the map. We show who supplies your water, which watershed you live in, and which groundwater basin is under you.Water storage tank size calculatorAnswer a few questions about your household, animals and garden. The calculator works out your daily use, then the tank size for the days you want to cover, and whether one tank or several fits.Watershed finderType an address or tap the map. We show your watershed, your closest named creek, the groundwater basin under you, and every stop your rain makes on its way to the sea.

Coming up

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Nov11Garden volunteer day at OAEC, every WednesdayOccidental · 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Nov11Cloverdale City Council votes on the Esmeralda development and keeps its El Niño flood emergencyCloverdale Performing Arts Center, 209 N. Cloverdale Boulevard, Cloverdale, and Zoom · 6 p.m.Nov14Public review of the final Matanzas Creek Dam plan endsSanta RosaNov14Walk and talk on traditional ecological knowledge and local watershedsLafferty Ranch, 610 Sonoma Mountain Road, Petaluma · 10 a.m. to noonNov14Highway 116 cleanup along the river, Guerneville sectionHighway 116, Guerneville · 8:45 to 11 a.m.Nov14Laguna Stewards day at Shiloh Ranch Regional ParkShiloh Ranch Regional Park, Windsor · 9 a.m. to noonNov15Comments due on renewing the water quality permit for Sonoma Water's Russian River mouth workBy email to the Water BoardNov16Comments due on Sonoma Water's Russian River estuary request to NOAABy email or mailNov16Milkweed Monday volunteer day on Lower Colgan Creek, every MondayMeet at Monument Drive and Mojave Avenue, southwest Santa Rosa · 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Nov17Supervisors and Sonoma Water board take up groundwater agency rules and a Russian River planBoard of Supervisors Chambers, 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, and online · 9 a.m.

Rain and storage

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What to do with a rain barrel in winter: drain it or keep it catching?A terracotta rain barrel raised on stacked bricks connects to a gutter downspout diverter under a deck.How to store water for an emergencyA grassy hillside trail with mountains behind it, Helen Putnam Regional Park near PetalumaHow much rain Sonoma County gets, town by town and month by monthRainwater running down a roof gutter

Stormwater and drainage

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How far should downspouts be from the house? At least 5 feet in Sonoma County clayA white metal downspout penetrates a dark wooden deck next to a white stucco exterior wall.What is a dry well? How it works, when it's legal, and why most Sonoma County yards need something elseA hand holds a yellow tape measure under an exterior house eave next to a white downspout.Slow it, spread it, sink it: downspouts, rain gardens and how big to digA dry creek bed lined with rounded river rock and boulders curves through a garden beside a paver path.

Wells and groundwater

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How deep is the water table in Sonoma County? Why your well is lowest this fall, and what winter will doA large oak tree stands on a wet grassy bank beside a quiet pond during rain.What size generator runs a well pump? Find yours in two stepsOpen wooden gate revealing a green water storage tank, pressure tank, and pump system in a wooded yard.Well water testing in Sonoma County: what to test and how oftenA lab worker in green gloves using a pipette to fill a small vial

Tap water and supply

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How to read a water quality report: three checks for every rowView through ivy-covered trees and a wooden deck railing down to a gravel riverbank and calm green water.Do you need a water softener? How hard your water is, and when salt is worth itClose-up of a faucet aerator coated in crusty white mineral scale.Lake Sonoma water level going into winter: why it's so full, and what happens nextA person walks along a low reservoir shoreline exposing a dry dirt bank and dead trees under sunny hills.

Rivers and pollution

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Will Lake Pillsbury be drained? Scott Dam removal and what it means for Sonoma County's waterPanoramic wide view of a calm mountain reservoir surrounded by forested hills and distant peaks.The water that moves us: how life moves water, and how we forgot we do tooFog and low clouds rolling over a grassy hillside with evergreen trees under a blue sky.Wine and water in Sonoma County: what vineyards cost our creeksRows of grapevines in a Sonoma vineyard

Saving water

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How to winterize outdoor faucets, and do you need to?A grassy hillside trail with mountains behind it, Helen Putnam Regional Park near PetalumaHow to find a water leak in your house: five places to check firstA grassy hillside trail with mountains behind it, Helen Putnam Regional Park near PetalumaWhy is my water bill so high? How to read a water and sewer billBackyard concrete patio with a covered hot tub, pool shed, and curved swimming pool surrounded by trees.

Policy and rules

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Can I pump water from a creek on my property? Riparian water rights in Sonoma CountyA small stream waterfall flows between moss-covered rocks and a fallen log in a redwood forest.Sonoma County groundwater: who manages it, the well fee, and how the basins are doingRows of green grapevines in a vineyard with open fields beyondWho makes the water rules in Sonoma CountyA grassy hillside trail with mountains behind it, Helen Putnam Regional Park near Petaluma

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Agencies, labs and local businesses for wells, plumbing and graywater. Listings, not recommendations.

Agencies and labsGroups and educationTesting labsWells and pumpsPlumbingGraywater and landscape

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