The Scotts Valley Water District is in a Stage 1 Water Supply Condition. There are currently no mandatory water use reductions. The District is encouraging voluntary water efficiency. Here are some tips:

• Turf’s Up Get paid to save water by removing your lawn. The District is doubling its lawn-replacement rebate from $1 to $2 per square foot for customers who remove irrigated lawns and replace them with a water-efficient landscape. Get details on the Turf’s Up rebate program.
• Think Twice The District asks all customers to continue using water efficiently by irrigating landscape no more than twice a week. Please water before 10 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
• Rebates Cover your pool to reduce evaporation or replace high-water-use fixtures with more efficient models. Multi-family accounts with a master meter can now get a rebate for installing water monitoring devices. Learn more.

Although recent wet years helped replenish local groundwater supplies, rainfall for the most recent "water year" totaled 24.6 inches, just 60 percent of the District's historical average. This falls below the 80 percent threshold that triggers a Stage 1 response under the District's Water Shortage Contingency Plan, according to an annual assessment of rainfall, groundwater conditions and overall water supply. SVWD began conducting annual analyses comparing supply forecasts to actual demand and decide whether to trigger a shortage stage in 2022.

The Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin, which supplies water to the District, is currently stable. Groundwater pumping remains below long-term stress levels, thanks in part to water use efficiency efforts and reduced water use by residents and businesses. However, climate uncertainty and long-term water demand require ongoing vigilance.