A storage and forbearance system installed by the Watershed Center and cooperating partners on Browns Creek. Six 5,000-gallon tanks were installed on this parcel. Leaving more water in the creek during the hot, dry summers improves aquatic habitat for fish and other water-dwelling creatures.
Store Water While the Weather’s Wet!
Trinity County has seen wells and streams run dry as a result of extreme drought and overconsumption. We’ve all heard the adage, “Make hay while the sun is shining.” As the climate warms and our hydrological cycle intensifies, it will become necessary to, “Store water while the weather’s wet!”
Storing water provides a sense of security during the arid summer months. In the last three years, the WRTC and project partners have installed eight water storage systems, totaling 322,500 gallons of water stored for residents in Browns Creek and Tule Creek for summer 2024. All participants were able to utilize stored water until the end of the forbearance period, which lasted 3.5 months, and some were able to forbear months longer! The water quality stayed good throughout the hot summer.
“Our family is fortunate to be the first property on Tule Creek and in Hayfork Valley to have this program installed. It has been a huge success and a game changer for us, and we are excited to be helping restore our watershed and riparian forest. I can’t thank The Watershed Center and 5C’s enough for making this happen! Thank you, Thank you!
I highly encourage other property owners on the Tule Creek watershed (and elsewhere in the county) to have an open mind and meet with Lesli to learn about this incredible project. I am happy to talk to anyone who may be interested in hearing a perspective from a property owner who has implemented and worked this system for three years. Our stream has not gone dry since installation and I am seeing so many fish now! The riparian forest is going crazy restoring itself to its original grandeur. We also installed the fire standpipe for wildfire resiliency. Some insurance companies take that into consideration when renewing your policy.” -S. S. Stylos, Trinity County Resident
Two more tank arrays are expected to be installed this year (2024) and three installed in 2025, which will result in a total of 482,500 gallons (or about 2.0 cubic feet per second) of water left in the stream channel. This project offsets 85% of the cost of tanks, plumbing, and system installation.
The Watershed Center will perform all of the environmental compliance steps and permitting required to install a system of tanks and piping for cooperating landowners. In exchange, landowners agree to leave water in the stream during the forbearance period, which is usually 2.5 months long in a wet year and 3.5 months in a dry year.
Water needs are assessed and calculated for each landowner or property. Ten 5,000-gallon tanks were installed on this property, which is three additional tanks than the standard seven tank (35,000 gal) typical array system. This property had a unique housing complex and the water source served three residences.
The Watershed Center and our primary partners on this project—The Nature Conservancy, Trinity River Restoration Program, and North Coast Resource Partnership—are attempting to grow the program to its fullest extent and recruit as many landowners as possible.
This program is looking for additional landowners in the Browns and Tule Creek watersheds to work with us as we install water tanks. If you would like to become a good upstream neighbor and a friend to the fish, who nourish our forested mountain valleys, please contact Lesli Mounivong at lesli@thewatershedcenter.com. We are also looking to expand this project into other watersheds that may benefit from using these storage and forbearance systems! If you live in or know of a stream that runs dry in the summer and provides water for domestic use, please contact us!
“My grandma is part of this [program] and it has been so beneficial for her livelihood and the entire watershed! So thankful for you guys!” -I. R. Patton, Trinity County Resident
