The largest water provider to Santa Clara County announced Monday it plans to declare a water shortage emergency and will urge cities to impose mandatory water restrictions, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District will seek a 15% reduction in countywide water use from 2019 levels.
The county is expected to become the most populous area in California to impose mandatory water restrictions.
The declaration, which impacts two million residents in and around San Jose, will be the first time since the historic drought of 2012 to 2016 that Santa Clara County residents will face mandatory water restrictions.
Water cutback rules include limiting residents to watering lawns and landscapes no more than three days a week and setting time-of-day limits on when landscapes may be watered.
The plan is expected to be approved on Wednesday, the paper said.
Santa Clara joins Marin County as the only Bay Area counties that have imposed mandatory water restrictions after the latter adopted a plan in April to reduce water use by 40%.
Less than a month ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a drought emergency to 41 of the 59 counties in California.
Related
