As the drought developed, local and state agencies began receiving anecdotal reports of household water shortages; however, there was no means to record or track these reports. The Drought Task Force’s “Less than 15 Connections Work Group” (Work Group) agreed that an easily accessed system was needed to develop a more systematic understanding of which parts of the state had households at risk, and to improve cross-agency response and coordination.
With the help of the Work Group, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has created a new system that improves and streamlines data collection and reporting for household water shortages for water systems with fewer than 15 household connections. The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System’s Webpage provides summary tables, a map, and more information about the program. The website can be accessed here.