Monthly Water Tracker

As of March 1, 2020

We began calendar year 2020 with groundwater storage well within Stage 1 (Normal) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan of Valley Water. Despite well below-normal local rainfall and statewide snow pack, end of year groundwater storage for 2020 is projected to be well within Stage 1.

Weather

• Rainfall in Santa Clara County
• Month of February, City of San Jose: 0.04 inch
• Rainfall year total = 5.20 inches or 50% of average to date (rainfall year is July 1 to June 30)
• March 2 Northern Sierra snowpack was 47% of normal for this date

Local Reservoirs

Current local reservoir storage

• Total March 1 storage: 54,656 acre-feet

  • 57% of 20-year average for that date
  • 33% of total unrestricted capacity
  • 49% of restricted capacity (166,266 acre-feet total storage capacity limited by seismic restrictions to 111,421 acre-feet)
• No imported water delivered into local reservoirs during February 2020
• Total estimated releases to streams (local and imported water) during February was 4,150 acre-feet (based on preliminary hydrologic data)

Groundwater

Groundwater conditions are very healthy, with total storage at the end of 2020 in Stage 1 (Normal) of Valley Water’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan

Imported Water

• As of March 2, 2020, the Statewide Average snowpack water equivalent is 44% of the historic average for this date
• Current 2020 State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) allocations:
  • 2020 SWP allocation of 15%, which provides 15,000 acre-feet to Valley Water
  • 2020 South-of-Delta CVP allocations are 65% for M&I and 15% for Agriculture, which provide 89,465 acre-feet to Valley Water
• Statewide reservoir storage information, as of March 2, 2020:
  • Shasta Reservoir at 78% of capacity (106% of average for this date)
  • Oroville Reservoir at 64% of capacity (91% of average for this date)
  • San Luis Reservoir at 69% of capacity (81% of average for this date)
• Valley Water's Semitropic groundwater bank reserves are at 100% of capacity, or 349,970 acre-feet as of January 31, 2020
• Estimated SFPUC deliveries to Santa Clara County:
  • Month of January = 2,745 acre-feet
  • Five-year annual average is 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 in February 2020

Treated Water

• Above average demands of 5,898 acre-feet delivered in February
• This total is 119% of the five-year average for the month of February
• Year-to-date deliveries = 10,730 acre-feet or 102% of the five-year average

Conserved Water

• Saved 73,531 acre-feet in FY19 from long-term program (baseline year is 1992).  This will be updated in FY20
• Long-term program goal is to save nearly 100,000 acre-feet by 2030 and 110,000 acre-feet by 2040
• The Board continues its call for a 20% reduction and a limit of three days per week for irrigation of ornamental landscape with potable water
• In January, achieved a 10% reduction in water use in calendar year 2020, compared to 2013

Recycled Water

• Estimated February 2020 production = 590 acre-feet
• Estimated year-to-date through February = 1,260 acre-feet or 73% of the five-year average
• Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center produced an estimated 1.5 billion gallons (4,570 acre-feet) of purified water in 2019.  Since the beginning of 2020, about 292 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