Monthly Water Tracker

As of April 1, 2024

On March 22, 2024, the California Department of Water Resources announced an increase in State Water Project (SWP) allocation from 15% to 30% of contract amount for 2024. On the same day, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced an increase to the 2024 south-of-delta Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation from 65% to 75% of historic Municipal and Industrial (M&I) use and from 15% to 35% of agricultural allocation. On June 13, 2023, the Board of Directors adopted a resolution to support water conservation as a way of life and an ordinance with a set of permanent water waste prohibitions for Santa Clara County.

Weather

• Rainfall in Santa Clara County
  • Month of March, City of San José: 3.1 inches
• Rainfall year total = 13.78 inches or 109% of average to date (rainfall year is July 1 to June 30)
• April 1 Northern Sierra snowpack was 124% of normal for this date

Local Reservoirs

Current local reservoir storage

• Total April 1 storage = 61,893 acre-feet
  

• No imported water was delivered into Calero Reservoir during March 2024
• Total estimated releases to streams (local and imported water) during March were 34,770 acre-feet (based on preliminary hydrologic data)

Groundwater

Groundwater levels in all regional monitoring wells are higher than last month due to recent rainfall and seasonal recovery. Most water levels are higher relative to March 2023, and all are higher than the prior five-year average for March. The end of 2024 groundwater storage is projected to be in Stage 1 (Normal) of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan

Imported Water

• In March (through March 31st), the SWP operated Banks pumping plant with an average daily export of 3,768 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 116,814 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for the month
• In March (through March 31st), the CVP operated Jones pumping plant with an average daily export of 5,302 acre-feet, resulting in a total export of 164,350 acre-feet from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for the month
• Multiple fish protection thresholds were triggered at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta export facilities this winter/spring.  The most limiting export restriction remained in effect for both the SWP and CVP through March 31st
  

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

Treated Water

• Below average demands of 3,380 acre-feet were delivered in March
• This total is 61% of the five-year average for the month of March
• Year-to-date deliveries are 10,300 acre-feet or 64% 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 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 March 2024 production = 915 acre-feet
• Estimated year-to-date through March = 2,380 acre-feet or 96% of the five-year average
• Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center produced an estimated 1.5 billion gallons (4,493 acre-feet) of purified water in 2023. Since the beginning of 2024, about 746 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