Droughts are here to stay. That's the warning from Santa Clara Valley Water as we continue to face a severe water shortage and uncertainty with regard to the upcoming winter months.
Rain or not, the message is to expect droughts to be a much more regular part of life, meaning conservation and preparation need to become lifelong habits as well.
"Last year, we had a great October and December," Santa Clara Valley Water spokesman Matt Keller said. "We had huge record-breaking storms. A lot of people were like, 'Great, the drought's over.' And then we hit January, February and March. It was the driest start to a year ever."
With so much uncertainty, Valley Water is pushing to continue 15% conservation, a number that may need to rise with another dry year and another record low amount of imported water from the state and feds.
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Valley Water said it has seen a huge jump in homeowners who have accepted grants to rip out their lawns and put in drought-resistant plants instead.
Even if this upcoming winter ends up being a wet one, it might not change the long term outlook.
"Even if we have significant rain this winter, likely we will still be in a drought," Keller said. "If we just have a normal year, we’re going to be in a drought again in the next year. It’ll take a while for us to get out of these conditions."
