Santa Clara County Water Officials Planning Drought Restrictions

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Amid projections of worsening drought conditions, the Santa Clara Valley Water District on Wednesday plans to vote on a resolution that would declare a water shortage emergency in Santa Clara County, propose water use restrictions and call on the county's Board of Supervisors to proclaim a local emergency.

The district, the largest water provider for the Bay Area’s most populous county of 2 million residents, plans to call for a 15 percent reduction in water use from 2019 — or 33 percent of 2013 water use — along with proposed restrictions that include the following, via the water district’s report:

• Use of potable water for more than minimal landscaping.
• Service of water by any restaurant except upon the request of a patron.
• Use of potable water for the filling or refilling of swimming pools.
• Excessive use of water: when a utility has notified the customer in writing to repair a broken or defective plumbing, sprinkler, watering or irrigation system and the customer has failed to affect such repairs within five business days, the utility may install a flow restriction device.
• Individual private washing of cars with a hose except with the use of a positive action shut-off nozzle.
• Use of potable water for washing buildings, structures, driveways, patios, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas.
• Use of potable water to irrigate turf, lawns, gardens, or ornamental landscaping by means other than drip irrigation, or hand watering without quick acting positive action shut-off nozzle.

See the complete list of proposed restrictions in the district’s report here.

The water district doesn’t have the authority to directly impose mandates on cities and water companies, so not all of the restrictions may be instituted verbatim. But if the resolution passes, it would be the first time in five years that Santa Clara County residents will be faced with extreme water conservation conditions.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that they would be reducing water shipments to urban areas by more than half, a decision that increased the concern amongst local water officials. In anticipation of worsening drought conditions, the district had approved a 9.1 percent rate increase for the 2022 fiscal year last month.

"We are truly in an emergency situation," Rick Callender, CEO of Santa Clara Valley Water District, told the Mercury News last month. "We're going to be seeking everything we can do to address this emergency."

Without additional restrictions on water usage, the county’s water storage levels are expected to drop significantly by as much as 80,000 acre-feet by the end of the year, according to water district officials. Officials blamed the decrease in supply, worsening drought conditions and the loss of the Anderson Reservoir — the largest reservoir in the district — for the next decade due to earthquake repairs.

The district’s second largest reservoir, the Coyote Reservoir near San Martin, has limited storage due to the state’s limits. And snowpack levels in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains are zero percent of normal.

District officials warn that groundwater levels could plummet to an “emergency” stage by next year, which could lead to wells running dry in South County and land subsidence resuming in North County. Groundwater accounts for about 40 percent of water use in Santa Clara County, and is the only drinking water source in South County.

With a 15 percent reduction in water usage, district officials project a best case scenario of water levels remaining at normal capacity next year, or at worst in a “severe” stage.

“These conditions magnify the importance for all of us to take steps to conserve water — every drop saved today is one available for tomorrow,” Valley Water Board Chair Tony Estremera said in a statement last week. “Our Board will also consider what other measures may need to be taken to increase conservation in the county, especially in light of this additional reduction in our region's water supplies.”

The last time Santa Clara County residents saw mandatory water use reductions was from 2012 to 2016, during a historic, multiyear drought. Other instances of restrictions occurred in 1977, 1987 to 1992 and 2007 to 2010.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors is expected to vote on the water restrictions on Wednesday. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and the agenda with Zoom information can be found here.