Dry Winter Could Mean Mandatory Water Rationing For Santa Cruz Residents

SANTA CRUZ (KCBS) - Water officials in Santa Cruz are already calling for residents to exercise restraint in their water usage this Spring, following a less than stellar rainy winter season.

At this point, water conservation is voluntary, though the Santa Cruz City Council planned to consider formally imposing water rationing on residents at a meeting next month.

Water restrictions were not expected to be imposed in other Bay Area communities, despite a dry winter virtually everywhere in the state.

"Lake Shasta, Trinity Lake and Lake Oroville are all actually above average even though we have not had much rain at all over the past several months," explained KPIX chief meteorologist Paul Deanno. "All that rain that fell in November and December has stayed in the reservoirs. They have been managed excellently."

Santa Cruz officials point to back to back years of below normal rainfall as reason enough to consider mandatory rationing in the coming months.

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