Amid drought crisis, Newsom pushes Calif. water suppliers to ramp up conservation efforts
With drought conditions worsening at an alarming rate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday urged water suppliers statewide to increase their conservation efforts by enacting more stringent regulations.
The governor signed an executive order Monday calling on the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to look into potentially adopting regulations banning the watering of decorative grass located adjacent to commercial buildings.
The ban would not apply to residential lawns, parks or sports fields.
"If your demands are exceeding your supplies you get to a point where you see some water systems run into a water emergency," Michael Anderson, a climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources, told CBSLA.
The governor also called water suppliers -- such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), a major water wholesaler for the region -- to move to Level 2 of their Water Shortage Contingency Plans.
Level 2 is designed to prepare for a water shortage of up to 20%, according to the governor's office.
"While we have made historic investments to protect our communities, economy and ecosystems from the worsening drought across the West, it is clear we need to do more," Newsom said in a statement. "Today, I am calling on local water agencies to implement more aggressive water conservation measures, including having the Water Board evaluate a ban on watering ornamental grass on commercial properties, which will drive water use savings at this critical time. Amid climate-driven extremes in weather, we must all continue to do our part and make water conservation a way of life."
Some local cities and agencies have already enacted water restrictions, including the city of Glendale and the Walnut Valley Water District, which has thousands of customers in Pomona, Diamond Bar and Walnut.
The 2022 year has begun with the driest three months in recorded California history. Despite the dire conditions, however, in January, Californians actually increased their water usage by 2.6% compared to the same month in 2020, according to numbers from the SWRCB.
MWD declared a regional drought emergency this past November.
"Our drought emergency shows no signs of lifting," Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the MWD, said Monday. "Mandatory conservation, as called on by Gov. Newsom, is necessary to generate the increased level of water savings we need to stretch our limited State Water Project supplies through the end of the year."
MWD offers a rebate of $2 per square foot for people who replace their grass with water-efficient landscaping. The rebate program has helped remove 200 million square feet of grass, which has saved enough water to provide about 62,000 homes with water each year, officials said.
Water conservation rebates from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were also increased last week, with residential customers able to now get $500 rebates for high-efficiency clothes-washer purchases and $250 for water-efficient toilet purchases.
Newsom's order also includes provisions to:
- Prevent illegal water diversions by expanding site inspections.
- Ensure new proposed wells do not compromise existing wells or infrastructure in order to safeguard groundwater supplies.
- Protect fish and wildlife where the drought is threatening their health and survival.
- Ensure that vulnerable communities have drinking water.
