SoCal's biggest water supplier to limit outdoor irrigation to one day per week starting June 1
Amid the historic drought gripping the region, Southern California's largest water provider on Tuesday implemented extraordinary water restrictions beginning in June.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California said it will restrict outdoor watering to just one day a week starting June 1 for its member agencies who are dependent on water from the State Water Project (SWP). The district's board approved the measure Tuesday.
"When you look around you and you find that it's very green, you don't have the same desire to comply with public conservation," said Essam Heggy, a scientist with the University of Southern California. "But if you are in the desert then you will have more desire to comply because your eyes see."
Those dependent agencies are: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Three Valleys Municipal Water District, and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
MWD held a Wednesday morning news conference to discuss the restrictions. MWD is asking Southern Californians for a 35% reduction in their water use.
"This drought has left us without enough water, that is the tough reality we all face," MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said. "So we have an option: Can we work together to stretch the water we have to last us for the entire year? Or have to take drastic actions in September?"
The unprecedented decision will affect about 6 million people in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
"Today we must save more of our water for indoor use," Hagekhalil said. "And this is the first step. If we reduce our water use by 35% now, we will avoid zero days of watering later in the summer."
In total, the MWD serves 26 public water agencies and provides water to an estimated 19 million people across Southern California. MWD, which declared a regional drought emergency this past November, relies on water from the California River and SWP to supply water to about 40% of Southern California's population. The SWP accounts for about 30% of all water used in Southern California.
MWD member water agencies that fail to enforce the requirement among its customers will face fines of up to $2,000 per acre-foot of water supplied by MWD that exceeds monthly allocation limits. Individual water districts will be tasked with imposing fines on residents who don't comply.
"For even-numbered addresses and odd-numbered addresses, they'll be watering on different dates," Mike McNutt with the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District told CBSLA Wednesday. "It is going to be up to us the amount of time people are going to be able to water during those times. It could be something like eight minutes per station. The first offense to us right now is a warning. It goes all the way up to five offenses. the fifth offense is going to be $10 extra per unit of water. The difference that we're doing, is after the third offence, we're allowed to install a flow-restriction device on the most egregious users."
The state has already severely restricted supplies from the SWP, cutting deliveries to 5% of requested allocations.
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 State Water Resources Control Board.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month directed MWD and other water suppliers statewide to ramp up conservation efforts by advancing water-shortage contingency plans.
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.
MWD offers a rebate of $2 per square foot for people who replace their grass with water-efficient landscaping. Rebates are also available from other local water agencies.
