Despite the State of California declaring itself out of a drought for the first time in three years, local community service districts are still urging residents to be water wise.
A groundwater basin is the only source of water for Los Osos which has been in overdraft. The winter storms helped improve conditions but did not bring the community out of water restrictions.
Los Osos is currently in Stage 3 of a five-stage water shortage contingency plan. With the rainy season ahead, the Los Osos Community Services District says there may be a possibility they pull back.
“That will be up to my board. Every spring I bring a report to them recapping what the water situation looks like, our groundwater monitoring results. There is a possibility with another wet winter we’d maybe go to a Stage 2 or Stage 1. It really depends on what happens this year," said Robert Munds, Los Osos CSD General Manager.
Some Los Osos residents say they've gotten used to living with water restrictions and have found ways to conserve.
“I just cut back where I can moneywise because water is really expensive. I have found if you get a pitcher where you put a filter in, it's only $9 so it’s a lot cheaper than buying cases, so that’s how I’m doing it," said Ladona DeLeon, Los Osos resident.
The Los Osos Community Services District says that despite how wet the previous season was and how much rain we get in the near future, it is always important to be water-wise.
“We’d just like to encourage people to continue to save water. We are in overdraft still. We see small improvements to our groundwater levels. It’s still very important that we be diligent in our water use," Munds said.
Becoming drought-free comes just as we’re about to head into another rainy season and a predicted El Niño.
