Two primary sources of water for our community are surface water – like from the Russian River and our reservoirs – and groundwater – water stored underground in aquifers. During a drought, when surface water is running low, many homes, businesses, and even farms may start to rely more on groundwater. This means that more people will be pumping water from our aquifers underground. If too much is pumped, sometimes there’s even subsidence – meaning the land will actually slope down where groundwater is being pumped the most. Rainfall naturally absorbing into the ground, as well as human-made infiltration ponds, ensure that there is enough water in our aquifers. But since we’ve had so little rainfall during this drought period, that’s an important reason to conserve as much water as possible. Drought is here. Save water.