Hoping For A March Miracle

We are over a month into 2022 and it sure is dry. In January we had 0.02 inches of rain recorded in Carpinteria and February is not looking much better. We are halfway through February and hoping for some rain to help replenish local water supplies. Historically in Santa Barbara County, precipitation in January and February make up 43% of the rainfall all year. We started the winter with a hopeful set of storms in December. The rainfall at Lake Cachuma was 8.22 inches in the month of December, which accounts for the majority of the 9.99 inches of rain the area received since September of last year. The storms in December were enough to turn the hillsides green but did very little for increasing storage at Lake Cachuma. However, we are, now, considerably behind in our seasonal rainfall. January and February are some of the most important months for statewide snow and precipitation and we have been greeted with blue skies and warm weather. We are hoping for a miracle in March to avoid falling deeper into our existing drought as December rain did little to change to critical water supply conditions.

People oftentimes use Lake Cachuma as a gauge to visualize how impactful storms are for local water supplies. Last November, the reservoir was at 48.4% capacity and decreased to 47.3% capacity ahead of December’s rainstorms. In the month of December, Lake Cachuma received 1,333 acre-feet of water, but this only raised the reservoir back to 48.4% capacity. For the watershed to become saturated it takes a substantial amount of steady rainfall, especially after periods with little to no rain. We need consistent storms over time to saturate the region and allow the rain to become available as runoff to help fill the reservoir. Slow, steady rain is also important for groundwater recharge. Although we want runoff to fill the Lake, we do not want too much runoff in areas overlying the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin as the water will flow down the creeks and out to the ocean before it can infiltrate into the aquifers.

Managing our water supply portfolio is a balancing act during periods of drought and with unpredictable allocations from the State Water Project (SWP). This recurring scenario has prompted the District to develop projects that will supplement our water supplies and help monitor existing supplies. As of this writing, 65% of California is still in a severe drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Initially, water suppliers were told to expect 0% of their allocation from the SWP. Fortunately, due to the rain and snow the Sierras received earlier this winter, the State revised the allocations to 15% for the State Water Project. Our strategy to develop a locally controlled, drought-proof water supply for our agency to be resilient during statewide droughts will pay off during these unpredictable water supply situations. You undoubtedly have heard me talk about the Carpinteria Advanced Water Purification Project (CAPP). It will have the capacity to produce up to 25% of CVWD’s demand in any year. This water would be produced by utilizing a multi-step treatment process to produce purified water that would be injected into the aquifer to replenish groundwater levels. The water would be pumped out months later by the District’s production wells to meet water demands. Currently, there are many grants available at the federal and state level for water supply projects to help assist with the final design and implementation of CAPP. We are competing with many other water supply and infrastructure projects, but we are hopeful that we will receive some funding to assist with the final design of the project within the next two years. For more information on CAPP visit cvwd.net/capp/. The District is also currently in the permitting process for new monitoring wells at El Carro Park, which will allow us to examine groundwater quality and water storage over time in the central portion of the CGB. We hope to have the project completed this calendar year. This monitoring well will be a key well in the monitoring program under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the CGB.

In the absence of rain and additional water supply sources, we are asking our customers to make conservation a way of life and use our water wisely. CVWD declared a Stage II Drought in October of 2021 and asked for a 20% reduction in water use from our customers, and we are currently not approaching these goals. We hope you will recognize the current situation and be mindful of your water consumption and find ways to further reduce your use. The District is using its new automated meter infrastructure (AMI) tools to notify customers of continuous flows alerts, which occur after water is used for 24 hours straight without a 15 minute break. Approximately 4,000 of our customers have access to a new webtool called Eye-on-water where you can set leak alerts and monitor your water use. To sign up for your Eye-on-water account, go to eyeonwater.com/signup. E-mail conservation@cvwd.net with any questions. For District updates, please visit our website cvwd.net, follow us on Twitter @CarpWater, or Carpinteria Valley Water District on Facebook and Nextdoor.