Santa Clara, CALIFORNIA—After months of missing their target goal of reducing water usage by 15 percent, Santa Clara water use fell 16 percent in October—though it was most likely due to unusually heavy rains that month. To keep water use down, the San Jose Water Company, the local utility that provides water to one million people throughout Santa Clara, imposed a monthly surcharge for each unit of water above the allotted monthly budget. Though the drought is still a concern, Santa Clara County has decided to postpone the $100 million emergency plan to build a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to keep from running out of water and is preparing to ease water restrictions.
Last modified: January 24, 2022