Drought: Big Bay Area water agencies ask – but don’t yet require – public to conserve more water

After back-to-back dry winters, two of the Bay Area’s biggest water agencies on Tuesday moved forward with plans to urge the public to reduce water use to avoid shortages this year. But for now, they are using a carrot rather than a stick, saying they have enough water to get by without resorting to fines, water cops and strict rules.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, based in San Jose, voted Tuesday night to double the amount of money it pays homeowners to replace their lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping, from $1 a square foot to $2, and to expand the maximum amount it will pay per household from $2,000 to $3,000 under the conservation program. Last time the agency offered that much, in 2014 during California’s last drought, interest in the program soared nearly 30 fold. The board also moved forward with plans to double its advertising budget this summer to encourage people to conserve water and meet its goal of a 25% reduction in total water use from 2013 levels. Meanwhile, the East Bay Municipal Utility District board voted Tuesday to declare a stage 1 drought and to ask the public for a voluntary 10% reduction in water use. The two agencies together provide water to about 3.5 million people, nearly half the Bay Area population. “We’re in a moderate drought,” said Tony Estremera, chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. “We don’t know when it is going to end. We’re trying to prepare the best we can. We’re trying to get ahead of it.” Both agencies said they did not need to copy their neighbor to the north, the Marin Municipal Water District, which took a tougher approach. Earlier this week, that district banned its 190,000 residents in central and southern Marin County from washing vehicles at home, washing sidewalks and driveways, power washing, watering public medians and refilling decorative fountains. Violators will be given a warning at first, a $25 fine for a second violation and then a $250 fine for any subsequent rule breaking. Marin water officials also are considering limiting outdoor irrigation in the coming weeks to one or two days a week and have begun talks with East Bay MUD over possibly constructing a pipeline over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge next year to ship in water from the East Bay, something that hasn’t been done since the 1976-77 drought. The larger water agencies said they have enough backup supplies to keep things voluntary for now. “We want to take it a step at a time,” Estremera said. “If the drought continues, we’re going to have to ask people to make sacrifices. We don’t want to go directly to that. We’re in pretty good shape. We’re pretty confident people will respond.” Both agencies said customers didn’t completely drop their conservation ways and go back to water-wasting habits from before the 2012-16 drought. Despite population growth, Santa Clara County residents used 16% less water last year than they did in 2013. Similarly, East Bay MUD customers last year used 13% less water than they did in 2013. The Bay Area’s biggest water agency, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which serves 2.5 million people in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and southern Alameda counties through its Hetch Hetchy system, plans to ask for no reductions from residential customers, only a 10% cutback from its 1,600 irrigation customers. Agencies often are reluctant to crack down on water use. It causes political headaches, and they are worried if they “cry wolf” too early, people won’t respond if droughts become dire. Also, when customers conserve water, agencies sell less water, which affects their bottom lines. A 10% reduction from current water-use levels would cost East Bay MUD about $20 million in lost revenue, the district estimated. Rainfall across California has been dismal for the second straight year. As of Tuesday, San Francisco had received just 40% of its historical average, Oakland 39% and San Jose 37%. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of nearly one-third of California’s water supply, was 59% of normal on April 1, which is considered the end of the winter snow season. Where will the water come from this year? The Santa Clara Valley Water District said that despite having its largest reservoir, Anderson Reservoir, drained for earthquake upgrades to the dam, it has full groundwater supplies locally and projects it will end the year with 308,000 acre feet — more than a year’s supply — stored underground. The district has another 332,688 acre-feet in underground supplies banked at the Semitropic Water Storage District in Kern County. And it plans to buy some water on the open market. East Bay MUD’s reservoirs are 69% full. The district projects it will end the summer with 475,000 acre feet of water stored up. Under its rules, it doesn’t begin mandatory water restrictions with drought surcharges until supplies fall below 390,000 acre feet. “Fortunately, we started last year well, and our customers continued saving water in our drought-prone region,” said EBMUD Board President Doug Linney. “However, we must take initial actions now to ensure we don’t face harder choices next year.” Environmentalists said they understand, for now, the big districts’ views but cautioned that the situation could worsen. “I am glad they are doing the things they are doing,” said Katja Irvin, co-chair of the water committee of the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, based in Palo Alto. “But it is a little bit of a risk if it isn’t a wet year next year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have to go to mandatory restrictions sooner rather than later.” For more information about landscape rebates and water conservation programs at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, go to Watersavings.org or call 408-630-2554. For programs at East Bay MUD, go to www.ebmud.com or call 866-403-2683.

San Luis Reservoir, which was 51% full on Tuesday April 27, 2021, is photographed from Dinosaur Point, east of Hollister. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)