Santa Cruz County Major Water Purveyors

The map below depicts the service areas of the major water agencies in Santa Cruz County. These agencies include the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, Lompico County Water District, Scotts Valley Water District, City of Santa Cruz Water Department, Soquel Creek Water District, Central Water District, City of Watsonville Department of Public Works and Utilities and the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA). With the exception of the recycled water project, the PVWMA does not provide water but rather is a management agency tasked with developing supplemental supplies and bringing the aquifers within its boundary into sustainable yield.

As with private well owners and stream diverters, the major water purveyors share the water resources in the county and most purveys obtain water from multiple sources. While most of the major purveyors depend solely on groundwater for their potable supply, the CSCWD, CWWD and SLVWD get a large portion of their water supply from local streams. The CSCWD is the largest user of surface water in the county, deriving approximately 90% of their supply from the San Lorenzo River Watershed and North Coast streams.

The water purveyors are working together to make our limited water resources sustainable for current and future generations of Santa Cruz residents. In fact, some of the most progressive water conservation programs in the country have been implemented by our local agencies and per-capita water use is far below state or national averages. Water Purveyors are working cooperatively and individually to develop additional sources of water, such as desalted sea water and recycled waste water. An Integrated Regional Water Management Plan has been prepared to coordinate agency efforts and numerous water projects, partially financed by State Proposition 50 funds, have begun to implement the priority components of the plan.