Marin Water / Marin County
Phoenix Lake set to drop ahead of winter rains
Marin Water and Marin County announced a plan this week to lower Phoenix Lake ahead of the 2026 winter season, freeing up extra capacity to capture stormwater before it reaches downstream creeks.
The goal is to moderate flood risk in San Anselmo and Ross, two communities that sit directly downstream of the reservoir and have flooded in past storm years. Fairfax sits in the same watershed, so the drawdown is being watched locally even though the reservoir itself is outside town limits.
No specific lake level or construction timeline was given in this week's announcement; the agencies describe the effort as a joint partnership moving forward of the rainy season.
Open Space Committee · meeting Tuesday, Oct 27, 7 pm
Open space panel pushes ahead on Scenic-Redwood Preserve buy
The Fairfax Open Space Committee meets Tuesday with an agenda built around the town's open-space holdings, topped by a fundraising update from the Western Alliance for Nature on its effort to acquire the Scenic-Redwood Preserve parcels, to be delivered by Rene Voss.
Elsewhere on the agenda: stewardship and signage updates for the Wall property preserve, a status report on the Gloria Duncan Creekside Preserve from Joe Franaszek, and a committee discussion of the Marin County Board of Supervisors' response to the Grand Jury's Measure A report.
The committee will also take up its own budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and hear subcommittee reports covering acquisitions, stewardship, trails and the upcoming Crafts Faire. None of the items involve a land-use vote; most are informational, with the acquisition fundraising update the one to watch for signs of momentum.