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Newscast: The Drought Outlook Improves and the Village of Mendocino Looks at a Community Water System

A map of California showing Mendocino county and other counties highlighted in light green to symbolize an improved drought outlook
U.S. Drought Monitor
The drought outlook for Mendocino County is much improved thanks to November's atmospheric river

This story was edited at 8:59 a.m. to clarify thta Pete Fickenscher presented the drought outlook at NOAA's monthly climate outlook webinar on Dec. 2.

A promising shift in California’s drought outlook has brought cautious optimism. Pete Fickenscher, hydrologist at the California Nevada River Forecast Center, reported that recent rainfall has dramatically improved conditions across Northern California during NOAA's monthly climate outlook webinar, held Dec. 2.

“At the beginning of November, things were not looking great,” Fickenscher said, highlighting that the five months leading up to November were the 12th driest in the 104-year record. However, the last two weeks of November brought a dramatic turnaround, delivering 13.5 inches of rain and making it the 10th wettest November in recorded history.

Northern California was fortunate to avoid significant flooding, Fickenscher added, crediting the region’s dry soil for absorbing much of the rainfall. The influx of water has replenished watersheds and created a more optimistic forecast for the winter ahead.

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Mendocino Village Grapples with Water Scarcity, Weighs Community Water System

The village of Mendocino could soon confront its decades-long water scarcity head-on, as a new study outlines potential solutions to address the community’s water deficit. At Tuesday night’s public forum hosted by the Mendocino City Community Services District (MCCSD), experts presented options to meet the water needs of the village’s 855 residents and the 2,500 tourists who visit daily.

The community relies on approximately 400 wells, many of them shallow and hand-dug, to meet a daily demand of 356,000 gallons. Currently, these wells supply only 116,000 gallons per day, creating a significant shortfall.

Adam Bausch, a senior water resources engineer with global firm GHD, outlined four possible solutions:

  1. Groundwater – The community’s current primary source, which is rain-dependent and difficult to manage without advanced planning.
  2. Surface water – A plentiful resource that could cover deficits but requires significant storage capacity and permitting.
  3. Recycled water – An option that could supply an additional 30,000 gallons daily but falls far short of meeting the community’s needs.
  4. Desalinization – A technically feasible solution but prohibitively expensive compared to other options.

Ryan Crawford, a professional geologist, emphasized the challenges of creating a centralized system to collect and distribute water. “The storage and distribution infrastructure are difficult and costly to build,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Bausch noted that groundwater and surface water are the most cost-effective long-term options. California’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program offers a promising path to fund such projects. The SAFER program provides technical assistance and funding to disadvantaged communities, potentially covering up to $80,000 per connection for projects like Mendocino’s.

MCCSD has already taken the first steps by applying for assistance through SAFER, and state representatives have assigned GHD as a technical assistance provider. A project to build a sustainable community water system could receive up to $20 million in funding.

“This is the type of project the state wants to support,” Bausch said, urging residents to weigh the options carefully and work toward consensus.

For now, the community faces a critical decision: whether to embrace large-scale infrastructure changes or continue navigating the challenges of water scarcity with existing systems.

Local News
Elise Cox worked as an editor and reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, Knight Ridder, U.S. News & World Report and other publications prior to moving to the Mendocino coast in 2022. She began reporting stories for KZYX in August 2024 and became news director in December 2024.