Soquel Creek Water District News

First Ever Water Conservation Guidebook For Santa Cruz County: Available Now

The Official Water Conservation Guide for Santa Cruz County” will be available in print on Friday at our District office (and at other participating agency offices) and you can find the electronic version on the SCWD Website: www.soquelcreekwater.org/.

The Water Conservation Coalition and Times Publishing Group partnered to create “The Official Water Conservation Guide for Santa Cruz County”, which includes water usage regulations, guidelines, and rebate information for the eight local agencies that provide, manage, and/or regulate water service in Santa Cruz County: the County of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Water Department, Soquel Creek Water District, San Lorenzo Valley Water District, Scotts Valley Water District, City of Watsonville, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, and Central Water District.

It also includes water saving tips and other conservation information from Ecology Action and watersavingtips.org and advertisements from local businesses offering drought-related products and services, making it a handy reference material for residents and visitors alike.

July Water Production Numbers

Entering August, we remain in a Stage 3 Water Shortage due to our over-drafted groundwater supply, which has been made worse by the continuing drought. Collectively, our goal is to reduce overall water usage by 25% compared to 2013, and our customers are making great progress. In May, your efforts produced a water savings of 37%, in June, your efforts produced a water savings of 35%, and in July, your efforts produced a water savings of 33%, which puts us at a cumulative 27% reduction on the year. Wow! Thank you.

Our water waste restrictions are in effect year-round and include the following new, temporary restrictions:

• Only use a commercial car wash
• Do not wash structures (unless preparing to paint and a pressure washer is used)

Thank you for continuing to do your part by using water as efficiently as possible in your homes, yards, and businesses.

Water-Saving Machine To Be Purchased With New Water Hook-Up Fees

The District has a Water Demand Offset (WDO) program in place that requires all new development projects to offset about 2 times the amount of water they are expected to use. Project applicants meet their water offset requirement by paying into a fund and the fees are used to pay for conservation projects that reduce water use elsewhere in the District. The purpose of the program is to allow development to continue without putting any additional pressure or demand on the overdrafted groundwater basin.

At their July 21 regular meeting, the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors decided to use WDO program funds from new development to purchase a NO-DES system. The NO-DES system recycles the water used to flush water mains as opposed to traditional flushing methods that result in water being released to storm drains or the sanitary sewer system. This technology, which was tested successfully on multiple occasions, will allow the District to fully resume water main flushing to maintain water quality throughout the District. The District’s regular water main flushing program had been suspended for the last two years due to the drought and long-term water shortage, except as required by law.

Water Waste Reporting Made Easy Anywhere In California

Here in the Soquel Creek Water District, our customers have multiple options for reporting water waste on the SCWD Website (www.soquelcreekwater.org), by calling 831.475.8501×141, or emailing savewater@soquelcreekwater.org. Many water agencies across the state, however, do not have water waste reporting infrastructure in place.

To help Californians save more water this summer, the State Water Resources Control Board, the California Department of Technology, and Save Our Water announced the launch of SaveWater.CA.Gov. The new mobile-optimized website will allow residents to report suspected leaks and water waste anywhere in the state from their smartphones, tablets, and computers.

On the site, users simply select the type of water waste from a list of common problems, type in the address where the potential waste is occurring, and click send. There is also an option (on the second page) to attach pictures. The anonymous report is then transmitted directly to the water agency that serves the geographic area where the report is made. Users don’t even need to know the name of the local water agency or how to contact them! The SaveWater.CA.Gov site does it for them. What a great tool!