Manteca reduced per capita water use by 7 percent in 2021.

That, however, is not enough as state officials are trying to position water supplies for California’s 40 million residents to weather the current drought.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had set a target for voluntary reduction of water by 15 percent statewide. Overall, Californians have reduced water use by 6 percent.

Manteca’s overall water consumption was down 5 percent from 4,979 million gallons in 2020. But given the city grew by just over 2,000 residents the per capita water consumption went down from 160.5 gallons per person on a daily basis to 148.2 for roughly a 7 percent drop.

An unusually wet December may have created an illusion with some that the drought is over given the wettest months for rain and the top two snowfall months are January and February.

That rosy assumption ignores a number of realities.

It is not all that usual for December to record high snowfall and then be followed by less robust months.

In best case scenarios the lack of snow in January and March is accompanied by cool temperatures as happened last year. While much of the water content of the snowpack was lost it wasn’t a repeat of 1997 when a heavier than normal Sierra snowpack was followed by a week of warm rain triggering an early January runoff that filled dams and weakened levees leading to flooding.

Reservoir levels are still way down for this time of year. Shasta Dam, the largest in the state that can hold back 4.5 million acre feet of water, has 1.3 million acre feet in storage that is 50 percent of average for Jan. 4. Oroville, that has a capacity of 3.5 million acre feet of water, now has 1.8 million acre feet that is 74 percent of average for Jan. 4.

The 2.4 million acre-foot New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River that is the source of South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s water is now holding 1.3 million acre feet of 71 percent of normal.

As of Dec. 30 all of the San Joaquin Valley is still in extreme drought while the central Sierra that feeds the Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Merced rivers is still in severe drought — just a notch below extreme drought.

The USDA drought monitor takes into account the need to replenish groundwater, resolve arid soil conditions, and refilling reservoirs.

Manteca water use crept

back up after last drought

Mantecans used 195.5 gallons per capita in 2013. Water use dropped steadily for a number of years due to the city pushing for reduced front lawn area for new homes, the shift to low-flow toilets as well as showerheads and washing machines, and tighter lawn watering rules. It started to go up slightly after the last drought ended in 2017 but has since started dropping again.

The new state rules mirror what Manteca has in place year round for the past 79 months including no watering allowed of grass within 48 hours of measureable rain.

The only difference is the state is pushing a $500 fine for the first offense.

The stricter water rules that were adopted for Manteca residents and businesses 79 months ago and are still in effect are as follows:

*No irrigation is allowed during or within 48 hours following measurable rainfall as defined by storms that generate run-off or puddles.

*No watering is allowed on Monday or any day between noon and 6 p.m. Watering for even addresses is on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday while odd addresses can water on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

*No water will be allowed on any day at any time for washing off sidewalks, driveways, patios, parking lots or other exterior non-landscaped areas without a permit obtained from the Manteca Public Works Department office at the Civic Center.

*No water will be allowed to flow into a gutter or other drainage area for longer than 5 minutes. All water leaks or malfunctions in plumbing or irrigation systems must be fixed with 24 hours.

Penalties include a written notice on the first violation, a $100 fine with applicable fees on the second violation that may be waived by attending a water conservation workshop; a $200 fine and applicable fees on the third violation; and $500 fines for each and every subsequent violation plus applicable fees.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com