Monthly Water Tracker

As of January 1, 2026

On December 1, 2025, the California Department of Water Resources announced an initial State Water Project (SWP) allocation of 10% of contract amount for 2026. Locally, there was slightly below average rainfall in December as compared to the historical average. Total storage in local reservoirs, with the exception of Anderson Reservoir, is at about average levels for this time of year. Treated water deliveries were below average in December, and groundwater conditions remain healthy.

Weather

• Rainfall in Santa Clara County
  • Month of December, City of San José: 2.20 inches
  • Rainfall year total = 7.36 inches or 149% of average to date (rainfall year is July 1 to June 30).
• Northern Sierra snowpack was 49% of normal for this date

Local Reservoirs

Current local reservoir storage

• Total January 1 storage = 30,868 acre-feet 

• No imported water was delivered into Calero Reservoir during December 2025
• Total estimated releases to streams (local and imported water) during December were 5,500 acre-feet (based on preliminary hydrologic data)

Groundwater

Groundwater conditions remain healthy throughout the county. Groundwater levels in most of the regional monitoring wells are higher than last month. While most of the water levels are lower relative to December 2024, all except one are the same as, or higher than, the prior five-year average for December. The end of 2025 groundwater storage is estimated to be in Stage 1 (Normal) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan

Imported Water

• In December (through December 31st), the SWP operated Banks pumping plant with an average daily export of 5,964 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 184,869 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for the month. This is the total amount pumped in December for the entire SWP to support the SWP allocation. Valley Water’s SWP contract provides Santa Clara County 2.5% of the total SWP contract quantity available each year
• In December (through December 31st), the Central Valley Project (CVP) operated Jones pumping plant with an average daily export of 4,093 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 126,875 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for the month. This is the total amount pumped in December for the entire CVP to support the south-of-delta CVP allocation. Valley Water’s CVP contract provides Santa Clara County 4.7% of the total CVP contract quantity available each year
• Delta flow and water quality requirements were controlling the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta export facilities this past month. Project facilities, including delta exports, were operated to maintain the Projects’ respective flow requirements and water quality standards in the delta for the month of December 

Click here to find the State-Wide Reservoir Storage map and table

Treated Water

• Below average demands of 3,200 acre-feet were delivered in December
• This total is 64% of the five-year average for the month of December
• Year-to-date deliveries are 78,224 acre-feet or 86% of the five-year average

Conserved Water

• Saved 85,204 acre-feet in FY24 through Valley Water’s long-term conservation program (baseline year is 1992)
• Long-term program goal is to save nearly 100,000 acre-feet by 2030, 110,000 acre-feet by 2040, and 126,000 acre-feet by 2050
• On June 13, 2023, the Board of Directors adopted a resolution to support water conservation as a way of life in Santa Clara County and an ordinance with a set of permanent water waste prohibitions

Recycled Water

• Estimated December 2025 production = 784 acre-feet
• Estimated year-to-date through December = 15,679 acre-feet or 93% of the five-year average
• Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center produced an estimated 1.6 billion gallons (4,950 acre-feet) of purified water in 2024. Since the beginning of 2025, about 4,387 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