California has adopted a historic statewide water conservation plan, affecting hundreds of urban retail water suppliers—that serve 95 percent of Californians—to increase water savings by 2040.
The State Water Resources Control Board, a five-member agency made up of appointees by the governor, approved the new rules July 3.
Unlike temporary emergency water usage rules in the past, these new regulations are permanent.
The board said in a press release that their strategy in implementing the new measures is to address a 10 percent water supply shortfall they anticipate by 2040.
The rules go into effect in January 2025, but water suppliers have until 2027 to get up to speed with compliance.
The so-called “water budgets” may allow variances for “unique uses,” such as raising livestock or supplementing ponds and lakes. This means some areas’ water budgets may be increased based on their average demand for water.
The goal of the adopted framework is to cut extra water usage by capping what suppliers can provide, which board officials said should lead to more water storage.
According to the water board, California needed a better framework for water usage because “severe” swings between wet and dry weather cycles have made water supplies vulnerable.
“Today is an exciting and historic moment for California because we have now formalized water conservation as a way of life,” water board chair Joaquin Esquival said in a statement.
The state water board was not immediately available for comment on the details of the framework’s implementation.
