Monthly Water Tracker

As of May 2023

On April 20, 2023, the State Water Project (SWP) increased its allocation from 75% to 100% of contract amount.  On the same day, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased its 2023 south-of-delta Central Valley Project (CVP) agricultural allocation from 80% to 100% and maintained allocation of 100% of historic Municipal & Industrial (M&I) use. Thanks to healthy winter storms, Santa Clara County’s drought classification was changed in March from Abnormally Dry to “None.” On April 11, 2023, the Board of Directors rescinded its call for mandatory 15% water use reduction and called for 15% voluntary water use reduction, among other actions to make water conservation a way of life in Santa Clara County. 

Weather

• Rainfall in Santa Clara County
  • Month of April, City of San José: 0.12 inches
• Rainfall year total = 21.10 inches or 152% of average to date (rainfall year is July 1 to June 30)
• On April 28 Northern Sierra snowpack was 219% of normal for this date

Local Reservoirs

Current local reservoir storage

• Total May 1 storage: 97,104 acre-feet

  
• Approximately 390 acre-feet of imported water delivered into Calero Reservoir during April 2023
• Total estimated releases to streams (local and imported water) during April were 39,300 acre-feet (based on preliminary hydrologic data)

Groundwater

Groundwater levels in most monitoring wells are higher than last month and all are higher relative to April 2022, indicating most groundwater levels have recovered to healthy, predrought conditions. The end of 2023 groundwater storage is projected to be in Stage 1 (Normal) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. Valley Water continues to plan for rapidly evolving conditions

Imported Water

• Through April, the SWP operated Banks pumping plant with an average daily export of 8,917 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 267,518 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
• Through April, the CVP operated Jones pumping plant with an average daily export of 4,292 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 128,763 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
• Storage capacity in San Luis Reservoir is split between the SWP and CVP. Both the SWP’s and CVP’s portion of San Luis Reservoir has filled. Currently, pumping through the Delta is made to meet contractor’s immediate demands only

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

Treated Water

• Below average demands of 6,730 acre-feet delivered in April
• This total is 98% of the five-year average for the month of April
• Year-to-date deliveries are 21,490 acre-feet or 92% of the five-year average

Conserved Water

• Saved 80,078 acre-feet in FY22 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 and 110,000 acre-feet by 2040
• On June 9, 2021, the Board called for a mandatory 15% reduction in water use compared to 2019. Based on improved water supply, the Board rescinded the mandatory call and replaced it with a voluntary call for 15% water use reduction compared to 2019 on April 11, 2023. Valley Water continues enforcing restrictions against outdoor watering that causes runoff, midday watering, watering after rainfall, outdoor watering more than two days per week on residential decorative lawns, and watering decorative lawns on commercial, industrial, and institutional properties
• Countywide water savings compared to 2019 (Valley Water’s baseline) and 2020 (State’s baseline)
  

Recycled Water

• Estimated April 2023 production = 879 acre-feet
• Estimated year-to-date through April 2023 = 3,022 acre-feet or 83% of the five-year average
• Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center produced an estimated 1.6 billion gallons (4,803 acre-feet) of purified water in 2022. Since the beginning of 2023, about 761 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 11,200 acre-feet/year