Gov. Newsom Highlights State and Local Action to Combat Drought, Calls On Californians To Take Action

At MWD water recycling facility, Governor Newsom highlights drought action.

CARSON —  Gov. Gavin Newsom May 18, visited a Metropolitan Water District of Southern California water recycling facility to discuss the administration’s response to the ongoing megadrought affecting the western United States. January through March were the driest first three months in the state’s recorded history, the state’s largest reservoirs are currently at half of their historical averages, and the state’s snowpack is just 17% of average. Gov. Newsom called on local water agencies and Californians to step up and take action to conserve water.

Gov. Newsom has taken action to combat the drought conditions, including extending the drought emergency statewide last October and in March, issuing an executive order calling on water agencies to implement, at a minimum, level 2 of their drought contingency plans to achieve water use reductions in response to a supply shortage of up to 20%. In addition, under proposed emergency regulations by the State Water Resources Control Board or SWRCB, the local agencies that have not yet adopted conservation plans, covering just 8% of the state’s population, will be compelled to take steps to achieve water use reduction with steps like limiting outdoor water use. 

The Governor’s March order was based on lessons learned from the last drought including that conservation actions are most impactful when imposed at the local level, based on regional needs and behaviors, and can be an effective means to achieve statewide conservation goals.

In response to the Governor’s direction, many local water agencies, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), have taken aggressive action to combat the drought. While an overwhelming majority of the state’s water agencies have drought plans at the ready, plans covering about 50% of California residents have not yet been activated at the level urged by the Governor.

On May 13, the SWRCB released draft regulations that will require all local water suppliers to implement level 2 of their water shortage contingency plans, and compel those that have not developed their own plan to take the following steps:   

• Limit outdoor water use to two days per week.
• Ban watering during the hottest parts of the day.
• Ban irrigating ornamental grass at business and commercial sites.
• Enforce fines of up to $500 a day for districts and corporations not in compliance.

The draft regulations will be considered by SWRCB at their May 24 meeting and, if adopted and then approved by the Office of Administrative Law, will ensure all local plans are in effect by June 10. The SWRCB also will consider regulations banning the watering of decorative grass at business and institutions, which the Governor’s March order directed the Board to consider.

The state is calling on Californians to take immediate action to avoid a crisis, including: 

• Limiting outdoor watering – on average, each time you water your yard equals about 240 flushes or 13 full laundry loads (for a washer that uses 30 gallons per load).
• Taking shorter showers. Going to a 5 minute shower to save up to 12.5 gallons per shower when using a water-efficient shower head.
• Taking showers instead of baths – a bath uses up to 2.5 times the amount of water as a shower.
• Using a broom instead of a hose to clean outdoor areas to save 6 gallons of water every minute.
• Washing full loads of clothes to save 15-45 gallons of water per load.