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17 California Communities In Danger Of Running Out Of Water In 4 Months

SAN JOSE (KCBS) — As the drought in California continues, 17 communities throughout the state could run out of water within 60 to 120 days, state officials said.

In some districts, the wells are running dry while other reservoirs are nearly empty. The state Health Department compiled a list after surveying the more than 3,000 water agencies in California last week.

State Report: Some Communities Could Run Out Of Water Within 4 Months

The water systems are in all in rural areas that serve from 39 to 11,000 residents. They range from tiny Lompico County Water District in Santa Cruz County to districts that serve the cities of Healdsburg and Cloverdale in Sonoma County.

Some districts have long-running problems that began before the drought. Larger communities like Santa Clara Valley however, have fared better because of long-running conservation programs.

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"Our conservation programs that we implemented since 1992 now reduce the county's water demands by about 10 percent, or 56,000 acre-feet a year—so that's a significant contribution in a year like this," Joan Maher, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, said on Tuesday.

Maher said the district was joining San Francisco in approving a voluntary ten percent cutback in water usage.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, the smaller water districts along the coast could be forced to truck in water or use expensive mobile-desalination plants.

COMPLETE LIST OF 17 COMMUNITIES:
Source: CA Department of Public Health

  • Shaver Lake Heights Mutual Water Company (Fresno County)
  • Sierra Cedars Community Services District (Fresno County)
  • Bass Lake Water Company (Madera County)
  • Whispering Pines Apts (Mariposa County)
  • Boulder Canyon Water Association (Kern County)
  • Cypress Canyon Water System (Kern County)
  • Lake Of The Woods Mutual Water Company (Kern County)
  • Camp Condor (Kern County)
  • Jackson Valley Irrigation District (Amador County)
  • City of Willits (Mendocino County)
  • Redwood Valley Community Water District (Mendocino County)
  • Brooktrail Township Community Services District (Mendocino County)
  • Washington Ridge Conservation Camp (Nevada County)
  • Ophir Gardens (Placer County)
  • Lompico County Water District (Santa Cruz County)
  • City of Cloverdale (Sonoma County)
  • Healdsburg (Sonoma County)

 

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