The City of Ripon officials continue to encourage water conservation.

From all indications, they’re bracing for another dry winter despite recent wet weather.

“We should know by April 1 based on the (Sierra Nevada) snowpack,” said Director of Public Works James Pease at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

A recent report had it at 61 percent of its historical average for this date, signaling the possibility that the state could be heading towards summer drought conditions.

Residents in Ripon just went to a three-days-a-week watering schedule, with Pease adding that the water conservation coordinator will continue patrolling and issuing warnings or citations for watering violators.

He shared information on ground water levels in San Joaquin County, using a graph from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Pease noted that the ground water level in 2007 was at 31 feet but then dropped to 38 feet in 2018, which was an exceptional drought year.

He indicated that the ground water levels are still below the pre-drought levels while not as extreme. “We still hadn’t made that up – our (ground water) levels have been between 31 to 35 feet,” Pease said.

As for water-reduction efforts, Ripon residents’ water usage was down 34 percent for February – about the same from that of previous years – compared to 2013.

“We’re down about 18 percent for the annual average,” Pease added.