Topline
In what would be Southern California’s most drastic water conservation effort yet, the region’s Metropolitan Water District (MWD) announced Wednesday it may ban outdoor watering completely in some parts of the area by September if the state’s record-breaking drought conditions continue to worsen, following an order Tuesday lowering the allotted watering time to one day a week for about six million California residents.
Key Facts
If conditions do not improve and water use in the state is not reduced, MWD general manager Adel Hagekhalil said Wednesday the supplier could implement “unprecedented measures” by banning all outdoor watering by September in cities in several of the region’s counties—including Los Angeles County, the state’s largest.
On Tuesday, the MWD—the state’s regional wholesaler of water and the largest treated water supplier in the country—announced a water shortage emergency and adopted new restrictions for dozens of cities in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties, lowering outdoor watering allowance to one day a week for about six million people beginning June 1.
The restrictions also apply to businesses such as golf courses, as well as public land such as parks, though individual member agencies from each city can elect to alter the restrictions as long as water use is reduced to around 80 gallons of water per person per day, Rebecca Kimitch, a spokesperson for the MWD, told Forbes.
Violators of the watering restriction will face a penalty of up to $2,000 per acre-foot, according to Kimitch, though tree-watering is exempt from the restriction.
Key Background
The areas affected by the watering reduction are regions that rely on California’s State Water Project, a system of reservoirs, dams and canals that bring water to 29 water agencies across the state, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Many southern California cities rely on water from Northern California rivers for their supply, which the State Water Project helps deliver. In March, state water officials cut the project’s allocations from 15% to 5%, pointing to the effects of climate change as a reason for the reduction in resources. The MWD said this reduction is what led to the new watering restrictions. California is experiencing its third-straight year of severe drought.
Big Number
95.2%. That’s the percentage of California the state says is experiencing a severe drought, which it defines as an environment in which grazing land is “inadequate” and fire season is extended. The state says 40.8% of the state is experiencing an extreme drought, in which fire season is year round and the water supply is “inadequate for agriculture, wildlife, and urban needs,” and 100% of the state is experiencing a moderate drought. Last month was the driest March ever recorded in the state’s 128 years of data, and 2022 is on pace to be the driest year in the state’s history.
