The coastal town of Mendocino in California is experiencing a severe drought. Thousands of people were coming to visit the town when coronavirus restrictions eased. But the visitors are seeing signs asking them to save water. About 1,000 people live in Mendocino which is 240 kilometers north of San Francisco. The town is known for its houses from the 1800s and its fog. But two years of very little rain has emptied wells that the local people depend on. Mendocino’s water problems grew after the city of Fort Bragg, a few kilometers to the north, informed officials that it also had very little water. That is because the nearby Noyo River reached its lowest level in many years. Ryan Rhoades is head of the Mendocino City Community Services District. His office helps supervise the town’s underground water supply. He said, “This is a real emergency.” Eric Hillesland and his wife normally would not need to buy extra water until July or August to supply their hotel, the Alegria Oceanfront Inn. But the property’s well added little water earlier this year and by February the Hilleslands were ordering 13,250 liters a week. Hillesland said he is asking guests to keep the water shortage in mind. He and his wife also are finding ways to save water such as using bed coverings made of a special cloth that needs less water to wash. Mendocino depends on groundwater in a system of about 400 privately owned wells. Many of them were dug by hand when the town was established in the 1850s. Locals keep their water in tanks.
