California Water Board Approves Stricter Rules Than 1977 Drought
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As California enters a fourth year of a severe drought, state officials are taking emergency steps to conserve the state's dwindling water supply.
The state water board voted on rules stricter than those during the 1977 drought, considered to be the worst in California history.
After hours of discussion, the five-member water board unanimously voted to make changes that will affect people up and down the state of California.
Restaurants statewide will no longer automatically offer water when the server comes to the table. Patrons will have to ask for it. Hotel guests can now ask housekeeping staff not to wash linens each day, and there are changes coming for lawn watering.
All of the moves are to get people to save more water than they are now, said Felicia Marcus with the California Water Resources Board.
"We want to say thank you for the efforts they've taken, but we think they need to step up more," she said.
When it's raining, residents won't be allowed to water their lawn for 48 hours after a rainstorm.
"This action today, is a tune up, it is an extension because the drought is not ending anytime soon," Marcus said.
Every water agency in the state will now have to limit their customers—both business and residential—to only watering two times a week. That is unless the agency or city, like Sacramento, already has watering days in place.
Ron Zraick represents golf course owners throughout the state, and he doesn't agree with the rigid two-day-a-week schedule. He thinks if people can achieve water savings on their own schedule, they should be allowed to.
"Not a day of the week based conservation measure, but more of a goal based conservation measure," he said
Regulations would state at the end of the month. Water agencies would have 45 days to make the changes they need to watering schedules.