There may be a need to severely restrict water consumption in 2022 if California has another dry winter

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The City of Yuba City obtains water for its water system through four different permits/contracts from the Feather River (Table A). The City also has access to one groundwater well located at the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) for use in drought or emergency conditions. With the current drought, the City’s water supplies have been curtailed and reduced.

During California’s 2012-2016 drought, the City utilized the backup groundwater well at the WTP, “carryover” water from the SWP Contract to supplement supplies, and encouraged customers to conserve water. Customers did an excellent job reducing consumption during the 2012-2016 drought and adopted long-term habits that reduced water consumption overall. Through these efforts, the City was able to meet water demands.

There is growing concern that while many water agencies have enough water supplies to serve customers for 2021, including Yuba City, there may be a need to severely restrict water consumption in 2022 if California has another dry winter. Rather than take a “wait and see” approach, the State is recommending action to begin voluntarily reducing water consumption.

On July 20, 2021, the Yuba City Council adopted a Resolution declaring that water supply conditions are such that they dictate and justify the need for the implementation of voluntary conservation measures to achieve 15% conservation, which aligns with the implementation of Stage 2 of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan.