This week's rain was a welcome change for the parched Bay Area, but it doesn't even begin to solve the region's water woes.
California has issued its estimate of how much water from the state water project will flow to the South Bay -- a dismal 5 percent of normal.
"It's the lowest they've ever predicted for us," said Marty Grimes of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
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Officials said 15 percent of Santa Clara Valley Water District supply comes from the state, so going from a potential 100,000-acre feet of water to a mere 5,000 is a huge reduction -- one that worries South Bay farmers.
"When there's a really low allocation we become very concerned," said Jennifer Scheer, Santa Clara County Farm Bureau's executive director. "We've had so many water cutbacks. We run very lean operations so if we don't get enough water then we are fallow that means we can't plant at that point."
The water district has other options, including purchasing water from other sources. But that would mean an increase in water bills.
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"It's possible we could have to go to other areas of the state for water and if that happens we may have to charge more to our water rate payers," Grimes said.
