VALLEY WATER CONVENES DROUGHT SUMMIT 2021

As Santa Clara County contends with a drought emergency that is threatening our region’s water supplies, Valley Water is taking actions to lead our region out of drought.

Valley Water recently conducted a Drought Summit to discuss ways to address the drought with partners across Silicon Valley.

The diverse, region-wide attendance mirrored the importance of the subject matter. The virtual event on Oct. 23, 2021 included elected officials, business leaders, water retailers, and environmental advocates from throughout Silicon Valley and beyond to discuss ways to address the drought together.

Elected officials and staff from Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, San Jose, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale were among those who participated. Representatives from the offices of Congressmember Anna Eshoo and California State Senator John Laird also attended the Drought Summit.

Valley Water Board Chair Tony Estremera opened the Summit by emphasizing Valley Water’s commitment to work with external partners in taking actions needed to help communities reduce water use and combat the drought emergency.

Those who attended the summit were provided the latest polling data on drought attitudes from Nichols Research. Valley Water led a presentation titled “Multi-Year Droughts: Possible Solutions for a New Normal” which focused on the current status of the drought. The event concluded with interactive breakout sessions where participants discussed how best to respond to the drought emergency and what commitments they or their organizations would make in the next 60 days.

The Summit convened roughly four months after Valley Water’s Board of Directors called for a mandatory 15% reduction in water use in Santa Clara County. Valley Water held a similar Summit during the previous drought of 2015 which spurred communities to collectively reduce water use when it was desperately needed.