In 2022, Santa Clara County saw the driest first three months (January through March) on record. The area is currently in “severe drought,” which means reservoirs are low with exposed banks, there is increased stress on trees and wildlife, and fire season is longer than usual with more fuel for high-intensity burns.
Is Santa Clara County still in drought?
Santa Clara County is enduring a third consecutive year of drought with record-dry conditions in 2022. Our water supplies are in jeopardy, especially if next winter is also dry. We must reduce our water use immediately to ensure we have enough safe, clean drinking water in the future.
Will California be a drought year 2022?
The first nine months of the 2022 water year are now in the books, and California remains mired in extreme drought conditions.
What is the status of water in Santa Clara County?
Santa Clara County continues to be in a water shortage emergency. Due to severe drought and increased reliance on imported water in the next 10 years while Anderson Reservoir storage is unavailable, meeting the Board of Directors call for 15% water use reduction relative to 2019 is essential.
Is San Jose in a drought?
California is once again in a statewide drought. San Jose received just 0.3 inches of rain from January through March this year, compared to 11 inches during the same time period in 2019, according to Valley Water.
Where does Santa Clara water come from?
Imported water
About 55 percent of Santa Clara County’s water supply comes from hundreds of miles away – first as snow or rain in the Sierra Nevada range of northern and eastern California, then as water in rivers that flow into Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta or directly to water conveyance systems.
What are the water restrictions in San Jose California?
City of San Jose Potable Water Use Restrictions*
No irrigating landscapes between 10 am and 8 pm, unless using a bucket, hand-carried container, or a hose with a shut-off nozzle. Sprinklers cannot run more than 15 minutes per station per day. No excessive water runoff is allowed.
Will California run out of water soon?
Most of the state is suffering severe, extreme, or exceptional drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor; in 2020 climate scientists found that California is in the middle of a “megadrought” exacerbated by climate change and likely to continue for an indefinite amount of time.
How much rain does California need to get out of the drought?
After a scorching summer, experts say it would take 7 to 10 inches of rainfall to get the soil damp enough to provide runoff to depleted reservoirs such as Sonoma County’s Lake Mendocino. It would take more than two feet of rainfall by the end of December to end the ongoing drought in the area by the end of the year.
Is California going to become a desert?
California as a whole is projected to be drier and hotter in the decades to come. The U.S. government projects the Sonoran, Mojave, and Great Basin deserts to expand as climate change continues to take hold.
Is Silicon Valley in a drought?
‘Dire situation’: Silicon Valley cracks down on water use as California drought worsens. Santa Clara county, the home of Silicon Valley, issued mandatory water restrictions this week during a severe drought that has already reached historic levels.
Is Santa Clara County tap water safe to drink?
The City of Santa Clara is committed to providing you the water consumer, with a safe and reliable supply of high quality drinking water.
Can I wash my car in Santa Clara County?
Car washing is also prohibited unless it is at a commercial water facility that uses recycled water.
Will California ever get out of drought?
The remaining crops, on average, will produce higher revenues per drop. Cities will use less water, by engineering more water re-use, better water banking, and higher reliability and conservation. But there is no escape from drought in California.
Where does San Jose get its water?
The San Jose Municipal Water System gets treated surface water from Valley Water and delivers it to our Evergreen customers. The District’s source water is mainly imported from the South Bay Aqueduct, Lake Del Valle, and San Luis Reservoir, which all draw water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed.
Why is San Jose so dry?
San Jose lies in the rain shadow of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Air flowing over the mountains sinks upon reaching the valley, decreasing the necessary lifting mechanism for cloud formation and rainfall.
Is it safe to drink tap water in San Jose?
Yes. The water delivered by SJW must meet stringent drinking water standards established by the California Department of Public Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Every year, we prepare and distribute an Annual Water Quality Report describing how our water complies with these standards.
Does Santa Clara have hard water?
The hardness in groundwater in Santa Clara County averages over 250 mg/L. By comparison, the average hardness of the District’s treated surface water is less than 120 mg/L. What are the health effects? Hard water does not pose a health risk, and there is no health-based drinking water standard.
How deep is the water table in San Jose?
Much or most of Campbell seems to have first groundwater at a depth of 50 to 100 feet. Much of the low-lying areas of San Jose and Santa Clara have water at a mere 0 – 10′!
Is there a water shortage in San Jose CA?
SAN JOSE, Calif. (December 1, 2021) – The City of San José has declared a 15 percent water shortage and limited the use of sprinkler systems using potable water to two days per week.
How often can I water my lawn in San Jose?
Limits on Watering Days: Watering or irrigating of lawns, landscape or other vegetated areas with potable water is limited to two days per week. Irrigation will be allowed Mondays and Thursdays for odd numbered and numberless addresses and will be allowed on Tuesdays and Fridays for even numbered addresses.