Mendocino County rated one of California’s most at-risk counties for drought impacts

MENDOCINO CO., 9/17/24 — During a public workshop on Sept. 5 of the group producing Mendocino County’s Drought Resilience Plan (DRP), two consultants tag-teamed to present a grim picture of the county’s ability to survive prolonged drought. The group was formed to satisfy 2021’s state Senate Bill 552, which requires all counties to plan and respond to drought and water emergencies. As Laura Garza, a University of California water and climate change advisor pointed out, the first part of creating a plan is understanding the lay of the land — or in this case, the state of the county’s groundwater.

Garza and Andree Lee, from EKI Environment and Water, cities, tribes, water district representatives and others, are all members of a County Drought Task Force (CDTF) formed to address what is likely to become a worsening problem. The first two objectives of the task force, the results of which will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on September 25, were to gather data (how serious is the problem) and assess vulnerabilities (can communities deal with the problem). So far, the answers are disheartening.