SACRAMENTO—With summer months approaching, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned May 23 “the state could be forced to enact mandatory restrictions” if local water conservation efforts continue to be ineffective.
Newsom met with California’s major water suppliers in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday, asking them to urge Californians to use less water amid worsening drought conditions.
“Every water agency across the state needs to take more aggressive actions to communicate about the drought emergency and implement conservation measures,” Newsom said in a May 23 statement. “Californians made significant changes since the last drought but we have seen an uptick in water use, especially as we enter the summer months. We all have to be more thoughtful about how to make every drop count.”
Statewide water supplies may be 20 percent lower due to extreme weather, according to the governor’s office.
California has failed a previous goal—set by Newsom in July 2021—of cutting water usage by 15 percent.
In the first quarter of 2022—the driest first three months in the state’s recorded history, Newsom said—the state only used 3.7 percent less water, with March 2022 seeing an 18.9-percent spike in water usage compared with two years ago, according to the state Water Resources Control Board.
So far, water conservation efforts have been driven by local water agencies’ restrictions covering about half of the state’s population.
On Tuesday, following Newsom’s direction, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote on whether to ban the watering of “non-functional” turf in commercial, industrial, and institutional areas, as well as regulations asking local agencies to abide by water-use restrictions.
If the Board approves the regulations, every city in the state will be covered by a local plan to reduce water usage.
Newsom will meet with these water suppliers again in the next two months to provide a progress update.
The governor’s office is asking Californians to save water and alleviate the drought by limiting outdoor watering, taking shorter showers, taking showers instead of baths, cleaning outdoor areas with a broom instead of a hose, and washing clothes in a full load.
