Monthly Water Tracker

As of June 1, 2021

Santa Clara County is in an extreme drought per the U.S. Drought Monitor. Due to very low local rainfall, statewide snowpack and imported water allocations, end of 2021 groundwater storage is projected to be in Stage 2 (Alert) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan without additional imported water supplies or water use reduction. Efforts are underway to secure emergency water supplies and ramp up water conservation programs and outreach. Valley Water will rely more on imported water and water conservation in the next 10 years while Anderson Reservoir storage is unavailable due to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order to drain the reservoir. On June 9, 2021, the Board of Directors adopted Resolution 21-86, declaring a water shortage emergency condition, calling for water use restrictions of 15% relative to 2019, and urging the County of Santa Clara to proclaim a local emergency. Making conservation a California way of life is especially critical during extreme drought.

Weather

• Rainfall in Santa Clara County

          -  Month of May, City of San José: 0.00 inches

          -  Rainfall year total = 5.79 inches or 41% of average to date (rainfall year is July 1 to June 30)

• Snowpack in the Northern Sierra:  5% of normal for June 1 and 1% of April 1 average
• Statewide snowpack:  0% of normal for June and 0% of April 1 average

Local Reservoirs

Current local reservoir storage

• Total June 1 storage: 25,235 acre-feet

  • 26% of 20-year average for that date
  • 15% of total unrestricted capacity
  • 40% of restricted capacity (166,140 acre-feet total storage capacity limited by seismic restrictions to 62,362 acre-feet

• Approximately 320 acre-feet of imported water delivered into Calero Reservoirs during May 2021
• Approximately 170 acre-feet of water released from Anderson Reservoir during May 2021.  Since the FERC order to drawdown Anderson Reservoir was issued on February 20, 2020, cumulative release from Anderson is approximately 30,050 acre-feet.  Majority of released water was for water supply
• Total estimated releases to streams (local and imported water) during May was 4,635 acre-feet (based on preliminary hydrologic data)

Groundwater

Groundwater levels and storage have declined due to extreme drought conditions.  Total storage at the end of 2021 is projected to be in the upper part of Stage 2 (Alert) of Valley Water’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan

Imported Water

• 2021 State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) allocations:
  • 2021 SWP allocation of 5%, which provides 5,000 acre-feet to Valley Water
  • 2021 South-of-Delta CVP allocations are 0% for Agriculture.  For M&I, the allocations are 55% through May 31 and 25% for the remainder of the year.  Combined this provides 42,300 acre-feet to Valley Water.  Valley Water may receive additional supplies in accordance with the CVP M&I Shortage Policy
• Statewide reservoir storage information, as of June 1, 2021:
  • Shasta Reservoir at 43% of capacity (51% of average for this date)
  • Oroville Reservoir at 38% of capacity (45% of average for this date)
  • San Luis Reservoir at 43% of capacity (55% of average for this date)
• Daily current state-wide reservoir storage summary (map) (table)
• Valley Water's Semitropic groundwater bank reserves are at 93% of capacity, or 326,476 acre-feet as of April 30, 2021
• Estimated SFPUC deliveries to Santa Clara County:
  • Month of April = 4,555 acre-feet
  • 2021 Total to Date = 13,899 acre-feet
  • Five-year annual average = 48,700 acre-feet
• Board Governance Policy No. EL-5.3.3 includes keeping the Board informed of imported water management activities on an ongoing basis. No imported water agreements were executed under EL-5.3.3 since the last Water Tracker update

Treated Water

• Above average demands of 10,321 acre-feet delivered in May
• This total is 107% of the five-year average for the month of May
• Year-to-date deliveries are 34,878 acre-feet or 109% of the five-year average

Conserved Water

• Saved 74,198 acre-feet in FY20 from long-term program (baseline year is 1992)
• Long-term program goal is to save nearly 100,000 acre-feet by 2030 and 110,000 acre-feet by 2040
• The Board has called for a 25% reduction and a limit of three days per week for irrigation of ornamental landscape with potable water (resolution pending)
• Through May, achieved a 12% reduction in water use in calendar year 2021, compared to 2013

Recycled Water

• Estimated May 2021 production = 1,505 acre-feet
• Estimated year-to-date through May = 5,396 acre-feet or 101% of the five-year average
• Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center produced an estimated 1.6 billion gallons (4,864 acre-feet) of purified water in 2020.  Since the beginning of 2021, about 1,663 acre-feet of purified water has been produced.  The purified water is blended with existing tertiary recycled water for South Bay Water Recycling Program customers

Alternative Sources

• As of December 10, 2019, Valley Water's wastewater contract right from Palo Alto/Mountain View remains at 10,000 acre-feet/year