To help stretch current supplies, the Santa Clara Valley Water
District is asking for voluntary conservation throughout the
county, and offering free programs to help residents, business
owners and growers conserve water.
To help stretch current supplies, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is asking for voluntary conservation throughout the county, and offering free programs to help residents, business owners and growers conserve water.
”We live in a drought-prone area, as those of us who lived through seven years of it in the late 1980s and early ‘90s remember all too well,” said Joe Judge, chairman of the water district board of directors.
“It’s way too early to say when and if another drought may be on the horizon, but we have an opportunity now to change our behaviors and make the most out of what little water is available today.”
A water shortage throughout the state is the result of several factors, including an early snowmelt, less-than-normal precipitation last winter in most of California, a recent levee break and increasing demands on water.
About 22 million Californians, including Santa Clara County’s residents, depend at least in part on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which is fed by snow that falls in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Much of this year’s snowpack was lost during an unseasonable heat wave in March, leaving less water than typical in the Delta. And some of that water was lost when a Delta levee broke June 3 west of Stockton.
Add to that a second consecutive year of below-normal rainfall in Santa Clara County, and the stage is set for prolonged water shortages should next winter be on the dry side.
The $154,000 campaign is reminding Santa Clara County residents to use water wisely, and referring them to free programs to meet the challenge.
For residents, the water district offers the Water-Wise House Call program. By calling a toll-free number – 1-800-548-1882 – residents are able to schedule an appointment for a trained water surveyor to visit their home or apartment complex.
For business owners, the district offers an array of programs, including rebates of up to $450 for high-efficiency commercial clothes washing machines.
For growers in the county, the district offers several services, including an on-line irrigation “calculator” that takes into account the crop being raised, local weather conditions and the amount of sunshine on a crop at noon.
Information on all these programs and others is available on the water district Web site, www.valleywater.org, or by calling the district’s water conservation hotline, (408) 265-2607, ext. 2554.
