Water district maintains conservation rate while state numbers slip

SAN JOSE—Following the release of statewide water conservation numbers on Thursday, the Santa Clara Valley Water District noted the continued and successful effort of the people of Santa Clara County to save even more.

The State Water Resources Control Board said statewide savings for the month of August were 27 percent, exceeding the state mandate of 25 percent, but lower than July’s savings of 31 percent.

In Santa Clara County, residents cut their August 2015 water use by an impressive 35 percent compared to August 2013, the baseline year. That’s the third month in a row that the county’s water providers have cut water usage by 35 percent, and it’s especially impressive during the hot summer months, when water use is generally higher. Cumulatively, from January to August, the countywide conservation rate was 26 percent.

While the governor has called for a 25 percent reduction based on per-capita water use, the water district’s board of directors called for a 30 percent reduction based on local conditions, particularly our groundwater levels.

“We’re very proud of the effort that Santa Clara County residents have put forth to fight the drought,” said water district Board Chair Gary Kremen. “We are setting a great example of what can be accomplished through education and a desire to do the right thing. We encourage everyone to keep it up, even as we head into the winter season.”

Much of our water comes from rain that fills our reservoirs and snow that falls in the Sierra Nevada. The snow melts throughout the spring and comes to Santa Clara County through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, comprising more than half of our water supply. But even with predictions of a strong El Niño, we do not know how much rain and snow will fall on Northern California to help lift us out of the drought, so the water district encourages people to continue saving throughout the winter months and to reach our 30 percent goal.