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Drought Center
U.S. Drought Monitor classifies San Diego County in moderate drought, the state’s largest reservoirs are well below average, and snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada are at historic lows.
We encourage all customers to utilize My Water Use Portal to track usage and setup alerts.
Drought Timeline
| March 2023 | Governor Newsom eases some emergency drought provisions. Department of Water Resources (DWR) announces 75% allocations, the highest since 2017. |
| February 2023 | Due to winter storms, Department of Water Resources (DWR) increases allocations to 35% (from original 5%) of requested water from State Water Project |
| December 2022 | MWD declares regional drought emergency for all of Southern California |
| June 2022 | SFID board adopts level 2 of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan; |
| May 2022 | State Water Resources Control Board (SWB) adopts emergency regulations for water use in response to Executive Order N-7-22 including a ban on watering non-functional turf |
| April 2022 | Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has implemented water restrictions for parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties |
| March 2022 | Governor Newsom requires water agencies to reduce water use in coming months |
| January 2022 | State Water Resources Control Board (SWB) approves resolution for drought-related Emergency Regulations pertaining to urban water conservation |
| November 2021 | Metropolitan Water District declares Drought Emergency |
| October 2021 | San Diego County added to the emergency drought proclamation |
| September 2021 | Reports show Californians have only reduced water use by 1.8% (July 2021 vs. July 2020) |
| August 2021 | Metropolitan Water District declares Condition 2 – Water Supply Alert; Lake Mead declares first ever water shortage; Lake Oroville shuts down major hydroelectric power plant due to water shortage |
| July 2021 | Governor Newsom calls for 15% voluntary water usage from 2020 levels |
| May 2021 | Drought declaration expanded to 50 California counties (all except Southern CA) |
| April 2021 | Emergency drought declaration in Sonoma & Mendocino Counties |
Current Water Restrictions
Level 2 restrictions are as follows:
- Irrigation of residential, commercial, nursery and grower’s products before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. only. This includes commercial landscape that does not include turf and commercial customers on recycled water.
- No watering of paved surfaces (sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts or patios, etc.) except when necessary for safety or sanitation hazards.
- Water waste from inefficient landscape irrigation such as runoff, overspray, etc. is prohibited.
- Vehicles should be washed using a bucket and positive shutoff nozzle, mobile high pressure/low volume wash system or at a commercial site that re-circulates water on-site.
- Leaks should be repaired within 5 days of notification by the District.
In addition, the State Water Resources Control Board has prohibited the irrigation of “non-functional turf” (defined as ornamental and not regularly used for recreation) at commercial, industrial, and institutional sites -this includes homeowners' association common areas and large apartment buildings. It does not include turf irrigated with recycled water and specifies that the irrigation ban should not harm the health of trees or other non-turf plantings.
At this time, the District will be focused on education and outreach. This includes informing customers on potential ways to save and trying to eliminate wasteful water practices.
Further Information:
View California State Drought Monitor Map
View "Addressing Drought Across the West"
View State Water Project updates
View Water Supply Reservoir levels