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Gov. Cox Issues State of Emergency Due to Drought

/in , , /by /KUTVby Matthew Jacobson,

Gov. Spencer Cox issued a drought state of emergency effective immediately.

The governor made the announcement at his monthly press conference.

“We’ve had a very volatile water year, and unfortunately, recent spring storms are not enough to make up the shortage in our snowpack,” Cox said in a media release. “Once again, I call on all Utahns – households, farmers, businesses, governments and other groups – to carefully consider their needs and reduce their water use. We saved billions of gallons last year and we can do it again.”

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Santa Clara Valley Water District Limits Outdoor Watering to Twice Weekly as Drought Deepens

/in , , /by /CBS SF BayAreaby Devin Fehely

The South Bay’s largest water provider is limiting when and how often people can water their yards as Santa Clara County faces the effects of a deepening drought.

“People spent so much money on their landscape they want to maintain it. Especially in town here. There’s a lot of wealth in Palo Alto. And they don’t want to see their yards go dry,” said Steve Crosariol, who works in Palo Alto and lives in Cupertino.

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Lawn Watering Crackdown Coming to Santa Clara County as Drought Worsens?

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Concerned about diminishing water supplies this summer and a failure of the public to hit conservation targets, Santa Clara County’s largest water agency is moving forward with plans to ask the county’s 2 million residents to water landscaping no more than two days a week, down from the current three days.

Last June, the Santa Clara Valley Water District declared a drought emergency and asked the public to cut water use 15% compared to 2019 levels. But in February, amid record-dry conditions, South Bay residents ignored that request, cranking up sprinklers and increasing water use countywide by 23%.

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Rainfall Totals Above Normal but Dry Spell Has Water Districts Preparing for Drought

/in , , /by /CBS SF BayAreaby Shawn Chitnis

The total rain collected as of February is still above normal, according to East Bay Municipal Utility District, but the recent dry spell in 2022 contrasts sharply with the wet months late last year and leaves the potential for a drought emergency uncertain.

“We’re not seeing an erasure of what occurred but it is worrisome,” said Andrea Pook, a spokesperson for East Bay MUD. “We do still need to wait and see what we get for the rest of February and into March.”

As of this week, East Bay MUD says it has 30 inches of rain, which is 108 percent of normal for this time of year. It’s also more rain that we had last year. Reservoirs are 68 percent full. These numbers are improvements from data reported by the agency in December.

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Metropolitan Water District Declares Drought Emergency in Southern California

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Southern California’s largest urban water district declared a drought emergency on Tuesday and called for local water suppliers to immediately cut the use of water from the State Water Project.

The resolution passed by the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California calls on people across the region to step up conservation efforts, but also focuses especially on six water agencies that rely heavily or entirely on the water-starved State Water Project.

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Imagine A Day Without Water

/in , , /by /Water News Network Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County residents joined Americans across the country marking Thursday, October 21 as “Imagine A Day Without Water.” The nationwide awareness campaign offered opportunities to learn about our nation’s water systems and the hard work that goes into ensuring a day without water doesn’t become a reality for their community. The Vallecitos Water District partnered with the City of San Marcos to promote water conservation with a new video.

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Water Authority Prepares to Activate Water Shortage Contingency Plan

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority is preparing to activate Level 1 – Voluntary Conservation of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan in support of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to sustain California after two record-dry years. The agency’s 36-member Board of Directors will decide at its formal monthly meeting on Oct. 28 whether to activate the drought response plan, following today’s recommendation by staff.

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California Just Declared a Drought Emergency. What Does that Mean and How Will it Affect Your Life?

/in , /by /CapRadioby Manola Secaira

As the state experiences its second-driest year on record and Gov. Gavin Newsom declares a statewide drought emergency, some Californians may be wondering: How will this shortage impact the Sacramento region and what does it mean for our everyday lives and water supply?

The declaration comes after a summer of record-high temperatures alongside plummeting water levels in reservoirs. With his announcement, Newsom cited these factors as more reason to “redouble our efforts” toward water conservation.

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Governor Extends Drought Emergency to San Diego County and Encourages Voluntary Conservation; Olivenhain Municipal Water District Remains at Level 1 of Its Water Shortage Contingency Plan

/in , /by

Encinitas, Calif. — In an October 19 proclamation, Governor Newsom extended to Southern California the drought-related State of Emergency that had been declared earlier in the year for other areas of the state. The emergency declaration directed water agencies throughout the state to activate their Water Shortage Contingency Plans to preserve water supplies.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District had already activated Level 1 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan in 2016. At the Level 1 condition, customers are encouraged to take voluntary actions to reduce water waste, such as promptly fixing leaks, stopping runoff from inefficient irrigation, irrigating only during night and early morning hours, and avoiding washing down paved surfaces.

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Newsom Declares Statewide Drought Emergency, Urges California to Conserve Water

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide drought emergency on Tuesday, appealing to all Californians to do more to conserve water in the face of one of the state’s most severe droughts on record.

“As the western U.S. faces a potential third year of drought, it’s critical that Californians across the state redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible,” Newsom said.

While most of California’s 58 counties have been in a state of drought emergency since July, Newsom’s proclamation added the last eight remaining counties, and further bolstered his call for everyone to voluntary reduce water use by 15%. The proclamation notes that the State Water Resources Control Board may adopt emergency regulations to prohibit wasting water, such as hosing down sidewalks or driveways, allowing drinking water to flood gutters or streets, or washing a car without a shut-off nozzle.

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