Soquel, California – Throughout November the Soquel Creek Water District is thanking its customers for their unprecedented water savings in 2014. Since February the District has pumped an average of 20 percent less water from the over-drafted groundwater aquifers that are currently 
its only water source.
“From the bottom of our hearts and wells, we thank our customers and recognize that these savings are the result of a lot of hard work, more than a few brown lawns, and a conscious effort to do more with less”, says General Manager Kim Adamson.
The District’s board called for a voluntary water use reduction of 20 percent on January 28, recognizing Governor Brown’s statewide drought emergency declaration. This year the Board also declared a Stage 3 Water Shortage Emergency and a Groundwater Emergency at its June 17, 2014 meeting which enacted emergency water rates.
The water savings achieved this year not only help protect the groundwater supply against the current drought, which severely reduces recharge, but also against the District’s long-term issue of groundwater over-draft and seawater intrusion.
One of multiple solutions the District is working on is a proposed year-round conservation program called Conservation Plus that could include water budgets for residential customers and require water conservation-related measures for businesses. The board revisited Conservation Plus at its public meeting on November 18 at the Community Foundation. Specifically they discussed the program’s goals, customer concerns, possible program changes and outreach strategies. The board also looked at new data showing who could still be affected by the program in light of this year’s unprecedented water-savings.
The District is also tackling the long-term groundwater shortage by carefully monitoring groundwater levels, seeking new water sources, collaborating with others who use the shared groundwater basin and requiring those seeking new water connections to offset their expected water use by funding conservation and groundwater recharge projects.
The Soquel Creek Water District is a non-profit, local government agency providing water to Capitola, Aptos, La Selva Beach, Opal Cliffs, Rio Del Mar, Seascape and Soquel. www.soquelcreekwater.org