City eases water limits imposed during drought

Historicallywet winter leads to the lifting of restrictions, but regular rules still apply

SAN JOSE — It may be little consolation after a winter so wet that it flooded homes along Coyote Creek, but city leaders say residents are now free to water their lawns any day they like.

The City Council this week declared an end to a nearly three-year citywide water shortage caused by a five-year drought — remember that? That means the 20 percent restriction on water use in San Jose is no more, and there are no longer any restrictions on the days residents may water their lawns or landscapes.

“All our water supply components are above average,” said Jeff Provenzano, deputy director of the Environmental Services Department.

Or, as Councilman Don Rocha put it: “Water slides are back in business.”

But before you hook up the Slip ‘N Slide and buy a box of water balloons, city and state officials want you to know they don’t welcome water waste.

Residents still must abide by San Jose’s regular water-use

restrictions, which remain in place at all times. They include:

No outdoor irrigation between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. without the use of a bucket, handheld container, or hose with a shutoff nozzle.

Anyone washing a vehicle must use a hose with a shutoff nozzle.

Broken or leaking water pipes, irrigation systems, and faucets must be fixed within five working days.

“Our entire community has done a terrific job saving water for the past three years,” Environmental Services Department Director Kerrie Romanow said. “State and local water supplies have now been restored to the point where we can declare an end to the shortage. I urge all our residents to continue following water-efficiency practices, however. This shortage may be over, but saving water must continue to be a way of life for everyone.”

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a statewide emergency on Jan. 17, 2014, in response to the drought and directed state agencies to carry out a water-conservation campaign that called on Californians to reduce their consumption by 20 percent.

On July 16, 2014, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted emergency regulations mandating that water suppliers, including the San Jose Municipal Water System, implement local water shortage plans limiting outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscapes or turf with potable water.

The City Council declared a 20 percent water shortage Aug. 26, 2014. As the water-supply problem worsened, the council increased the water-shortage declaration on April 21, 2015, calling for a 30 percent savings. The council on June 21, 2016, decreased its water-shortage declaration to 20 percent and restricted outdoor watering to a maximum of three days per week.

After state water officials last month established “stress tests” to ensure reliability of local water supplies, and the city’s major water utilities all passed, indicating there is enough supply to withstand a threeyear drought by following local water-use restrictions that are in effect at all times.

The 2016-17 winter was among the wettest in decades in the Sierra Nevada, which stores much of the state’s water supply in the form of snow. As of Thursday, the statewide snowpack was 164 percent of the historical average.

For more information on continuing water-use restrictions, please visit www.sanjoseca.gov/waterconservation.