State and local agencies gave water users across drought-stricken California one week’s notice before new, in some cases unprecedented, water restrictions take effect.
On the same day, May 24, that the State Water Resources Control Board and the Santa Clara Valley Water District adopted tough restrictions on water use, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisor adopted its own strongly worded statement encouraging compliance with the new regulations, as California grapples with a new normal climate that’s drier and hotter – with even greater wildfire risks in the months ahead.
“Santa Clara County is experiencing a drought emergency,” Valley Water Chair Pro Tem John L. Varela said in a statement. “We must all take immediate actions to reduce water use and protect our current and future water supplies.”
In response to a March 28 executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state water board on May 24 adopted an emergency water conservation regulation “that will ensure more aggressive conservation by local water agencies across the state.”
Also on Tuesday, Valley Water, as the county water district is known, unanimously approved an enforcement program – the first of its kind in Valley Water’s history – that imposes restrictions on outdoor water use by residents and businesses and includes fines for those who ignore repeated notices to correct violations.
State, local plans differ
The new state regulation bans irrigating turf at commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, such as grass in front of or next to large industrial or commercial buildings. The ban does not include watering turf that is used for recreation or other community purposes, water used at residences or water to maintain trees.
The statewide regulation also requires all urban water suppliers,such as Valley Water and its wholesale customers, the local water districts, to implement conservation actions under Level 2 of their Water Shortage Contingency Plans.
In March, the state’s urban retail water suppliers reported average water use statewide that was nearly 19% greater than in March 2020, lowering the state’s cumulative water savings since July 2021 to 3.7%.
Newsom on Monday met with leaders of the state’s largest urban water suppliers, and pressed them to take more aggressive action to combat drought.
“The severity of this drought requires all Californians to save water in every possible way,” said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Board. “The regulation compels water systems and local authorities to implement a range of additional critical conservation measures as we enter the hot and dry summer months.”
Level 2 water shortage contingency plans are meant to address up to a 20% shortage of water supplies, state officials said. In addition to implementing Level 2 actions, the regulation requires urban water suppliers to fast-track supply and demand assessments to plan for potential extended dry conditions.
Here are restrictions
Beginning June 1, Valley Water will begin restricting outdoor watering in Santa Clara County, with potential fines for violators. Here are the restrictions:
- NO watering ornamental lawns more than two days a week
- NO watering any outdoor landscape between 9am and 6pm
- NO outdoor watering that results in excessive runoff onto adjacent properties, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures
- NO watering outdoors during and within 48 hours of a storm that produces at least one-quarter of an inch of rain.
“Our board did not take this action lightly,” Varela said. “While our focus will remain on education to ensure water waste is corrected, we need to take this unprecedented step to protect what little water we have.”
“Please consider letting your lawn go brown this summer — or even better, replacing it with a drought-resistant landscape,” he said. Valley Water offers substantial rebates through a Landscape Rebate Program, and residents and businesses can take advantage of conservation programs by visiting watersavings.org., he said.
The prohibitions apply to properties in Santa Clara County that receive water supplied by Valley Water – directly or indirectly. The enforcement program will complement the existing enforcement programs of our water retailers. Click here to find your water retailer.
Valley Water said it will notify those who are reported to be wasting water with an educational letter and tips on how to reduce water use. A second reported violation will result in Valley Water visiting the property and leaving a door hanger to document the violation, if possible. Valley Waterssaid it will also notify the water retailer of the opportunity for the retailer to initiate its enforcement process.
If there is a third violation, Valley Water will refer the water waste to the retailer and request the retailer begin its enforcement process. If the violation persists and the retailer does not complete enforcement, then Valley Water will issue a notice of violation and a fine.
Fines up to $10,000
Fines will escalate from $100 to $500. However, Valley Water has the authority to issue a fine up to $10,000 for extraordinary circumstances.
This local enforcement program does not apply to sports fields and grass areas that are regularly used for recreational, civic, school and community events.
The adoption of an outdoor water use enforcement program is the latest action taken by Valley Water to ensure a reliable water supply during this drought.
In June 2021, the Valley Water directors established a 15% water use reduction goal for Santa Clara County compared to 2019. Overall, residents, businesses and farmers reduced water use by 3% between June 2021 and March 2022 with no savings yet this year.
In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order and called on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15% compared to 2020. Santa Clara County residents and businesses answered the call, and reduced water use by 9%, more than double the state average. On May 23, 2022, Gov. Newsom reinforced the need for conservation statewide as we enter the summer months.
On April 12, the Valley Water directors voted to restrict the watering of lawns and ornamental landscapes.
How to conserve
The easiest way to reduce water use, say local water experts, is by cutting back on outdoor watering, responsible for about 50% of residential water use. Valley Water is asking residents and businesses to please consider letting your lawn go brown this summer or replacing it with a drought-resistant landscape. Valley Water offers signs people can place in yards letting neighbors know they are letting their lawn go brown to save water during the drought.
Valley Water also offers substantial rebates through our Landscape Rebate Program. Residents and businesses can take advantage of our robust conservation programs by visiting watersavings.org.
If the drought emergency worsens and water supplies continue to dwindle, Valley Water said it may require additional reductions in outdoor watering.
How to report water waste
Valley Water’s water waste inspectors respond to reports of water waste and violations of local water use restrictions. To report water waste, select any of these options:
- Download the Access Valley Water app or go to Access Valley Water and select the “Conserve Water & Save with Rebates” category, or search “water waste” in the search bar.
- Call (408) 630-2000
- Email
Wa*******@va*********.org
Include photos, cross-streets and landmarks with water waste reports whenever possible.
Santa Clara County officials Tuesday endorsed the strict water conservation rules adopted by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
“Unfortunately, this drought is not going anywhere anytime soon, and each additiona
County of Santa Clara encourages residents and businesses to conserve water as the region heads into a third drought year. The County’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution that urges a 15 percent reduction in water usage compared to 2019 levels, as part of efforts to address the ongoing arid conditions.l year that we continue with these dry conditions, we find ourselves in a more dire situation,” said Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman. “I have faith that our community sees the urgency of our decreasing water supply and can come together to ensure we can stretch this precious resource for everyone who lives here.”
County urges conservation
“As a County administration, our operations are always carried out with sustainability at the forefront, including the way we use and conserve our water supply,” said Jasneet Sharma, Director of the County’s Office of Sustainability. “From large-scale efforts at the commercial, industrial and agricultural levels to simple steps that can be taken at home when washing dishes or watering landscapes, we all have a part to play in keeping this area livable and sustainable for our entire community.”
Since the last major drought in 2014, the County has already implemented several water conservation projects and policies that have significantly reduced water use in County facilities and unincorporated areas, among them: switching to water-conscious landscaping, using recycled water for irrigation, installing low-flow toilets and showerheads at detention centers, adopting leak detection and maintenance protocols, and establishing a native plant demonstration garden at Hellyer County Park. More information on the County’s efforts to protect and conserve water resources can be found on the Sustainability Master Plan website.
But…the government keeps allowing residential housing projects to continue.
A ‘Sewer Hook-Up Moratorium’ should be enacted until sustainable water sources are available.
In addition…Santa Clara Valley Water District has too many projects on property taxes…It is past time for the ‘District’ to severely ‘trim’ its’ budget.
David S. Wall
90% of the water goes towards agriculture. Hard to take this seriously, while we grow rice in the desert.
@MP,
Not really – the highest amount of California’s freshwater resources is flushed to the Pacific Ocean.
“Water in California is shared across 3 main sectors.
Statewide, average water use is roughly 50% environmental, 40% agricultural, and 10% urban, although the percentage of water use by sector varies dramatically across regions and between wet and dry years.”
Food products should have a much higher priority over the minnows in delta –
you have to feed CA’s “majority” welfare state somehow.
Politicians are quick to approve more dense housing,
more poverty level population growth,
welfare handouts to the non-productive, transients and homeless,
without concerns for limited resources.
The only resource Politicians see as ‘Unlimited’ are tax dollars they can swindle from the hard working residents.
Well said Patriot!
CA Patriot, the reality, as is almost always the case, is more nuanced than “food over delta minnows”.
The more we disrupt natural environments, including riparian corridors like streams and rivers, the more fragile the food web as a whole becomes. Fisheries and ocean food suffers when rivers don’t flow into them properly. Salmon and trout disappear. Migratory species fail when water is missing from riparian corridors, and all of the services those species provide to the food web disappear along with them.
Who is to say that non-native water and pollutant intensive crops should have priority over a naturally sustainable fishery dependent on rivers flowing into the ocean? Or the myriad other negative impacts of overly disrupting water flows?
Real solutions involve compromise. It involves market incentives and assistance for farmers grow more sustainable crops. It involves building more storage capacity for those rare wet years (and that storage capacity is more efficient and less impactful if stored in the ground, not as reservoirs), and yes, it involves business and homeowners being more efficient, too.
How about a half dozen brand new state of the art nuclear power plants, side by side with desalinization plants, along the California coast.
Three birds (environmental, power & water), one stone.
Just an idea.
@Realist,
maybe use real logic to look at the issue, versus the eco-alarmist views that permeate the decades of failed policy, that now, has cursed California, due to misguided policies based on lawsuits and activism from so-called “environmental groups”.
“Who is to say” what the priority is – the people who live & subsist (eat food) in the U.S. – they depend on farmers to provide food or starve – which will be headlines across the world in the next year due to failed foreign policy in Ukraine.
Nature evolves and changes, as does the climate over time – it is called evolution an adaptation – the food chain will not just disappear because a minnow, that has not seen population improvement over decades of “flushing water” policy – other “minnows” take its place.
Residential water use is 10% of all water resources used. Over half, more than 50% of freshwater is flushed to rivers and streams for environmental concerns.
Residential water use is already lower than “target goals” as residents have continually reduced usage, a practice from previous drought periods –
unfortunately the result has been higher rate & service costs, due to revenue loss for water companies.
Believe the Science, I understand Math may not be a strong point due to a failed CA Public Education,
But,
A 15% reduction from a 10% overall usage is 1.5% overall reduction – that is not going to beat the drought,
And you cannot mandate water usage to nothing and continue to increase population density.
(April 2022, KTVU) CA Senate Passes Lower Water Standards
“CA’s current standard for residential indoor water use is 55 gallons per day (GPD) per person .
Last year, a study by state regulators found the median indoor residential
water use in CA was 48 GPD per person,
or WELL BELOW the current standard.
The CA Senate voted 28-9 (April 21) to lower the standard to
47 GPD per person starting in 2025; and
42 GPD per person beginning in 2030.
The bill’s vote by a comfortable margin is a sign the proposal has the support necessary to pass to law.
Proponents can repeat all they wish (“but I got it on sale!”) that new residents living in denser housing use less water, but it’s still using more water.
Yes, enviro-ag-urban is typically 50-40-10. Ag uses about 80 per cent of water AFTER THE ENVIRONMENTAL SHARE IS REMOVED. It’s kind of like the valid claim of Amtrak that it competes very well with air travel in the Northeast Corridor. )Some use buses also to travel by collective transport on fixed routes and schedules, too.) Still most travel by far, 80s per cent, is on the road in cars. All the activists can do then if they’re truthful is quibble about defining what Northeast Corridor travel is, and this has to include suburbs where people and many jobs are, there as well as in California and other places. Not everything is downtown.
Keeping Diablo Canyon operating and getting it to produce desalinated water makes a lot of sense, especially if climate change as correctly understood is anticipated. Diablo Canyon is able to produce something like four and one-half times as much water for south of the Delta as the Delta bypass sought for generations now. (Canals or pipelines, along, under, above the ground, whatever) San Onofre should get such a facility for So-Cal, and then it’s a real question if a third facility by Point Reyes or beside Monterey Bay would also be of good use.