Santa Clara County water officials have ended a drought water emergency.
Water officials have ended drought emergency conditions in the Santa Clara Valley thanks to record amounts of rain and snow from more than a dozen atmospheric river storms.
Board of Directors of Valley Water -- which manages water for Santa Clara County's nearly two million residents -- voted to rescind the agency's water shortage emergency condition. A mandatory 15% water-use restrictions for all homeowners and businesses that has been in effect for three years is now voluntary, directors also decided.
Agency officials said Monday that the National Drought Monitor shows Santa Clara County is now designated "free of drought" for the first time in three years.
The heavy storms of the last three months have also improved Valley Water's imported water allocations from the State Water Project and the Central Valley Water Project.
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Bay City News contributed to this report.
