Consumer Confidence, $7.6M Grant, Stage 3 Water Shortage

May 2022 News & Updates

Consumer Confidence/Water Quality Report is Now Available

Soquel Creek Water District's number one priority is to provide all our customers with a safe and reliable supply of water that can be used with confidence. Our 2021 Water Quality Report is now available for you to read!

The State of California requires municipal water agencies that serve more than 10,000 connections to publish an annual report (also known as the Consumer Confidence Report) and present the results of water quality monitoring data we perform. Electronic copies of past annual reports are available on our website.

We take hundreds of samples each year and are proud that the water we provide continues to be safe to drink and meets and is often better than the stringent state and federal standards.

Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency Receives $7.6M Grant

On Tuesday, May 3, representatives from the CA Department of Water Resources announced that the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency was awarded $7.6 million for the Budget Act of 2021 SGM Grant Program SGMA Implementation Round 1 grant solicitation. We are proud to have filed and earned this award! Read the press release.

District Remains in a Stage 3 Water Shortage Declaration

The Board of Directors at its April 19 board meeting voted to stay in a Stage 3 Water Shortage Emergency. We are asking our customers to meet our Stage 3 Water Shortage Emergency guidelines, including limiting household water use to no more than 50 gallons per person per day and follow our rules of water waste, which are always in effect. Efficient water use is vitally important as we continue to work on constructing the Pure Water Soquel Project. That Project will help replenish the basin with purified recycled water with the goal of replenishing the groundwater basin and preventing seawater intrusion from moving further inland.

Employee Spotlight: Bryan K.

We are grateful for all of our employees who work every day to provide safe, reliable water and excellent customer service. We have been spotlighting our employees on our social media pages.

Bryan, our Lead Electrical Instrumentation Technician, was featured in March. Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to meet more of the District team members.

Pure Water Soquel Homepage got a Facelift

We are proud to introduce our new and improved Pure Water Soquel homepage! It is your all-access pass to information like weekly construction updates, the ‘what, why, and how’ of the project, and more!

Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)

The District has applied for the California Department of Community Services & Development’s LIHWAP program to provide assistance to low-income customers who are struggling to pay their water bills. LIHWAP will offer a one-time payment of up to $2,000 to customers who qualify. It will help them pay past-due water bills. The program is expected to launch in May. Once the program has launched you may apply for funding through the LIHWAP website. Learn more about the program.

Plant of the Month

The whimsically named Beach Strawberry is an excellent ground cover and lawn substitute. This versatile landscape species belongs to a family of strawberries that can be found naturally throughout the Americas, in all 48 states of the continental US, and in Hawaii as well. Fragaria chiloensis is suitable in many soils and tolerates full sun and shade. Read more about the Beach Strawberry.

Join the Customer Portal & Be WaterSmart

We frequently see much higher-than-normal water usage during the upcoming months due to over-irrigation and irrigation system leaks. Don’t get blindsided by a high bill—manage your water use with the WaterSmart Customer portal. WaterSmart allows you to see your daily and hourly water use in near-real-time. Set notifications via email, text, or voice for high usage or bill amounts over customized thresholds. Register today and start taking control of your water use and bill!

Upcoming events

Visit our calendar for up-to-date information.

5/3: Board Meeting—Budget Workshop
5/17: Board Meeting
5/30: Memorial Day—Offices Closed

Soquel Creek Water District is 100% dependent on groundwater. Our shared groundwater basin is currently in a state of overdraft, which means more water has historically been extracted than naturally replenished by rainfall. The overdraft condition has led to seawater intrusion at our coastline which, if left unresolved, will eventually move inland and contaminate the groundwater drinking wells. We’re working on long-term solutions to our supply issues and encourage all residents and customers to conserve whenever possible. Contact us to learn how we can help you conserve water.

For more information, please visit our District website at www.soquelcreekwater.org.
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