Drought Update
Current Drought Status & Reservoir Levels
California is experiencing severe dry weather. Low snowpack, and even lower runoff, in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains are causing critically low reservoir levels in the Colorado River and State Water Project systems, which is where Rancho Water gets about 67% of our water supply.
Since October 2021, Riverside County has had an emergency drought declaration, along with the rest of the state. While our imported water supplier currently has above average storage levels from previous wet years, now is the time to save so that we may protect our water supplies for tomorrow.
Track the latest statewide water supply conditions, snowpack levels, and river flows, and Southern California's reservoir levels in the links below.
Click on graphic above to see more California reservoir levels
Drought Timeline
| 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 |
| 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 (does not apply to Rancho Water). |
| March 2022 | Governor Newsom requires water agencies to reduce water use in coming months |
| January 2022 | Rancho Water moves to Stage 3b of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan; 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 | Riverside 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 |
Rancho Water is currently in Stage 3b of the
Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
Water budget reductions are now in place.
Effective now, Stage 3b implements several mandatory outdoor water use restrictions including:
- Irrigating lawns and landscape only between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. Customers with weather-based irrigation controllers are exempt from this restriction.
- No watering of outdoor landscapes during a rainfall event and up to 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
- Irrigation water may not leave the landscaped area.
- Using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways, sidewalks, and other hardscape surfaces.
- Tuning up irrigation systems by checking for and repairing leaks and damaged sprinklers.
- Not allowing hoses to run while washing motor vehicles (including autos, trucks, trailers, motor homes, boats, or others).
- No variances or adjustments for: filling swimming pools, establishing or expanding landscape area, leaks not repaired within 48 hours, or existing outdoor water budgets.
Effective now, the following water budget reductions are in place:
- Residential, multi-family, and dedicated landscape Tier 3 (inefficient tier) water budgets will be decreased by 50%
- Agricultural, agricultural/residential, and commercial Tier 2 budgets (inefficient tier) will be decreased by 50%.
Customers’ efficient water budgets are not being reduced in this stage of the Plan.
The Journey of Water
To understand how the statewide drought affects Rancho Water, it's important to first understand where our imported water comes from. About 60% of our water is imported from more than 500 miles away from the Sierra Nevada through the State Water Project (SWP) and the Colorado River from the Rockies. The SWP serves 27 million people and about 750,000 acres of farmland. The Colorado River supplies water to more than 35 million people in seven states, and about 4 trillion gallons of water for agriculture. Water from these sources travels through hundreds of miles of pipeline, treatment plants, and reservoirs before eventually reaching Rancho Water customers.