Santa Clara County is far short of its water conservation goals amid a punishing statewide drought, according to the most recent data.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District in June declared a water emergency and called on county residents to reduce water usage by 15% from 2019 levels. In July, the first month after the declaration and for which data is available, the county cut its usage by just 6%, according to water district data obtained by Bay Area News Group.
A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Water Valley District didn't respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment about the data obtained by Bay Area News Group and the district's expectations for August water usage numbers. This story will be updated when we hear back.
All of Santa Clara County is in extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Extreme and exceptional drought are defined by widespread water shortages and restrictions or shortages of water in streams, reservoirs and reserves leading to water emergencies.
As of Wednesday, Santa Clara County’s 10 reservoirs were just 12.2% full, with more rain unlikely in fall and winter. For instance, CAL Fire Chief Thom Porter said Tuesday that the agency's three-month forecast projected dry, windy conditions for the rest of the year.
Twelve of the 13 cities and private water companies the district serves reduced water usage in June, but only one reached the district’s target. Stanford University cut back its water usage by 15%, while Palo Alto’s was down 13%, according to district data published by Bay Area News Group.
No other city or water company’s customers reduced their water usage by more than 10%. Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents in the Purissima Hills Water District actually increased their water usage by 5% over July 2019.
At that time, none of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought. By the end of this July, over 88% of the state was under those conditions.
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