Roseville issues drought alert

Following an unusually dry start of the year, the city of Roseville has announced it is at a Stage One drought alert.

The action by the city's environmental utilities department is in response to a letter from the Bureau of Reclamation informing the city that its water supply from the Bureau will be cut by 25 percent in calendar year 2008.

In a normal year, Roseville gets 32,000 acre feet of water from Folsom Dam, part of the Bureau of Reclamation's water delivery system. The city also gets 10,000 acre feet from Placer County Water Agency and it can draw about 400 acre feet from groundwater. The city now uses 35,600 acre feet of water, so the reduction could put the city into a potential water deficit.

Content Continues Below

In a Stage One alert, the city asks all water users to reduce water use by 10 percent. The city prohibits washing streets, parking lots, driveways or buildings. Roseville also requests restaurants serve water only on request.

The city also will be sending out water patrols to check that no irrigation water is wasted.

The reservoir at Folsom Dam is just over half full, following two dry years and lighter than usual snowfall this winter into the American River watershed.

The city will be mailing letters to all water customers about the alert in the coming weeks.