“Our family is fortunate to be the first property on Tule Creek and in Hayfork Valley to have this program installed. We have completed two seasons so far, and look forward to season number three. It has been a huge success and a game changer for us and we are excited to be helping to 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 getting a prospective from a property owner who has implemented and worked this system for going on three years. We also installed the fire standpipe for wildfire resiliency, [and] some insurance companies take that into consideration when renewing your policy.”
-S. S. Stylos, Trinity County Resident
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 has installed eight water storage systems, totaling to 295,000 gallons of water stored for residents in Browns Creek and Tule Creek during summer 2023. 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. Households averaged 3 residents and household water use averaged 336 gallons per day.
Four more tank arrays are expected to be installed in 2024. When all funded projects are completed, over 472,500 gallons of water will be stored and over 6,000 gallons per day will be left in Browns Creek during the forbearance period for the benefit of the entire community and ecosystem.
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, serving five year-round inhabitants. Leaving more water in the creek during the hot, dry summers improves aquatic habitat for fish and other water-dwelling creatures.
The Watershed Center and our primary partners on this project—5 Counties Salmonid Conservation Program, Nature Conservancy, Trinity County Resource Conservation District, 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.
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.
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.
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.
“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