Encinitas Can Expect More Water After Recent Rains

ENCINITAS, CA - Recent rains could mean a more flexible water budget for Encinitas as state authorities announced increased water deliveries throughout California.

The state will allocate additional water deliveries to some 29 public water agencies, delivering 30 percent of requested water supplies after initially projecting only five percent delivery.

“The allocation increase is the direct result of extreme weather in late December and nine atmospheric rivers in early January that helped fill reservoirs and dramatically increase the Sierra Nevada snowpack. The SWP’s two largest reservoirs (Oroville and San Luis) have gained a combined 1.62 million acre-feet of water in storage - roughly enough to provide water to 5.6 million households for a year,” the California Department of Water Resources said in a statement.

The areas receiving additional water allocations include the Bay Area, central coast, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, according to Maggie Macias, a representative of the California Department of Water Resources.

Many San Diego area water districts have enforced strict water restrictions to handle persistent drought conditions. San Diego County was considered to be in a “moderate” drought as of Thursday a slight improvement from before recent rains which showed drier conditions is some areas of the county, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Governor Gavin Newsom's June 2022 statewide order had San Diegans further reduce water use as part of an emergency water conservation regulation. Though the region's water supply is currently stable, areas of Northern California were in dire drought which required everyone in the state to do their part to help reduce water use, according to the San Diego County Water Authority.

Cities in San Diego County are still restricted to a three-days-per-week limit on watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Other restrictions such as not washing cars at home, washing down a driveway and not letting sprinklers leak are still in place.

Despite the promising rains, the state department cautioned San Diegans that the drought is still far from over.

“While recent storms have been impressive, two months remain in the wet season and California could see a return to warm and dry conditions prior to April 1. Californians should continue to use water wisely to help the state adapt to a hotter, drier future and the possible return of drought,” the California Department of Water Resources said.