Sunnyvale City Council Could Declare Water Shortage Emergency
SUNNYVALE (CBS SF/BCN) -- The Sunnyvale City Council plans to consider joining a long list of local governments this week in declaring a water shortage emergency.
On Tuesday, the City Council will vote to enter Stage 2 of its water supply shortage plan, which calls for a 15 percent water use reduction compared to last year and sets a maximum weekly three-day irrigation schedule.
It is the same irrigation schedule the city of Santa Clara implemented earlier this month.
Landscape and turf irrigation for properties with odd number properties or with no addresses are allowed to water only on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Even numbered addresses can irrigate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday and there is no irrigation allowed on Wednesdays.
On their designated irrigating days, customers are still prohibited from irrigating between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The city said their main goal is to educate residents on water conservation efforts, so the first and second violation will not elicit a fine. However, a third violation will cost a customer $250 and a fourth violation $500.
In the report to the council, city staff said limiting irrigation days during the 2014-2016 drought proved to be an effective tool in conserving water, so they think it will help bring water use down this year too.
Sunnyvale's water shortage declaration comes nearly three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order expanding a Drought Emergency Declaration to Santa Clara County and calling on Californians to cut water use by 15 percent compared to 2020 water use.
Forty-six out of the state's 54 counties are under the same executive order from Newsom as California experiences a drought for two years in a row with 2020 and 2021 having the second-driest back-to-back pair of years on record.
If the water shortage declaration is passed by the Sunnyvale City Council, staff recommends the city stay in Stage 2 for at least a year and to revisit water reduction goals in December 2022 should the winter season be dry again.
The Sunnyvale City Council meeting will start at 7 p.m. and can be watched at sunnyvaleca.legistar.com, via Zoom at sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540 or by calling (833) 548-0276 (Meeting ID 961 1158 054).
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