The soaking rains that closed out 2021 proved beneficial for Santa Clara County and its drought situation.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Santa Clara County on Dec. 27 moved into the less-intense “Severe Drought” classification. A week earlier, it was considered to be in “Extreme Drought,” just one level below the driest category of “Exceptional.”
It’s also been good news for reservoirs throughout the county. The Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos is at 51% of capacity as of Jan. 4, according to data from Valley Water, which operates 10 reservoirs throughout the county.
In mid-October, the Lexington Reservoir was at just 18.8% of capacity.
Countywide, the average capacity for Valley Water’s reservoirs was just under 28%, compared to 12.5% in August.
An emergency drought ordinance remains in effect in Los Gatos, which, among other things, limits landscape watering to three days per week before 9am or after 5pm.
In mid-2021, Valley imposed mandatory water usage reductions of 15% compared to 2019 levels—equivalent to a 33% reduction from 2013 water usage levels.
According to the National Weather Service, light rain is likely on Friday.
