Mendocino City Community Services District

MCCSD

Who We Are

The Mendocino City Community Services District (MCCSD) is an independent Special District of the State of California, responsible for the protection and management of the water resources within the District.

What We Do

Wastewater Treatment
Groundwater Management
Street Lighting

The primary goals of MCCSD are to efficiently treat the community's wastewater and effectively manage its groundwater resource. These goals have been accomplished through the operation of a tertiary level treatment plant and the development of a Groundwater Management Plan, which was designed to protect the town's aquifers from overdraft.

REGULAR OFFICE HOURS M-F 8:30-4:30

PHONE 707-937-5790

EMERGENCY CONTACT 707-367-5286

┋ Notice of Public Hearing

MENDOCINO WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY

Update
STAGE 4 WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY DECLARED

In Effect Now

A Stage 4 Water Shortage Emergency was declared by the Mendocino City Community Services District Board at its Regular Meeting on March 28, 2022. The Stage 4 Water Shortage is our most severe and is due to below average rainfall in the District, year to date.

In 2006, the District developed a Water Shortage Contingency Plan to identify and effectively respond to the water shortages that regularly occur in Mendocino. With the Water Shortage Contingency Plan, the District can assess the groundwater supply and the water demand of the town based on existing land use and the pattern of precipitation and groundwater levels. This information can be used to determine the severity of a water shortfall.

Rainfall is the primary source of groundwater recharge, and water levels in the area are strongly controlled by rainfall. Normal rainfall in Mendocino averages approximately 39.73 inches per year. Total rainfall at the end of as of March 29, 2022, in Mendocino was just 22.28 inches just 56% of normal. The District’s monitoring wells also show lower than normal recharge to the town’s aquifer due to the dry weather.

The District’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan recommended declaring the Stage 4 water shortage which is considered a Severe Drought emergency. It is important for property owners, business owners, and residents to continue to conserve water and increase your individual storage capacity. The Plan requires the following temporary conservation measures for a Stage 4 Water Shortage:

1) Rationing: requires 40% reduction of all water allotments
2) Temporary moratorium on issuance of new Groundwater Extraction Permits for new or expanded development which increase water demand, and no aquifer pump tests or hydrological studies permitted.
3) No person shall use water through a hose to clean the exterior of buildings
4) Restaurants shall not serve water to restaurant customers, except upon request of the customer
5) Mandatory Groundwater Extraction Permits for all developed parcels within the District.
6) Landscape watering by garden hose or use of a drip irrigation system between the hours of 7:00 PM and 10:00 AM only.
7) Washing vehicles permitted only by means of a “bucket and sponge,” and a hose with a shutoff nozzle
8) No refilling of hot tubs, pools, ponds, or decorative fountains
9) Hosing down of porches, sidewalks, driveways, and other hard surfaces is prohibited

The Water Shortage Contingency Plan is designed to help residents and businesses to conserve and protect the water resources in and around Mendocino during drought. Since Mendocino’s water supply is primarily limited to a shallow, limited, and seasonally replenished groundwater aquifer, the Plan should help mitigate the effect of the drought condition. Please contact the District office if you have any questions about the current water shortage.

Respectfully,
Ryan Rhoades
District Superintendent

PRESS RELEASES

March 29, 2022

March 23, 2022

November 18, 2021

Board of Directors

The Mendocino City Community Services District is a California Special District governed by a five member Board of Directors with each Director serving either a two or four-year term.
Elections are held in November of even numbered years. As of this date, the directors and terms of office for the Mendocino City Community Services District are:

President:	Dennak Murphy	2024
Vice President:	Jim Sullivan	2024
Director:	Harold Hauck	2022
Director:	Christina Aranguren	2022
Director:	Maggie O’Rourke	2022

Any interested person may apply for the office of Director when there is a vacancy.
An applicant must be a registered voter and reside within the boundaries of the MCCSD.