Temporary Water Cuts Now Permanent As State Deals with Drought

LOS ANGELES, CA - Southland residents will need to permanently curtail their water use under an order issued Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown that bans activities such as hosing off sidewalks and requires urban suppliers to continuing producing monthly reports on water-reduction efforts.

The order calls for long-term implementation of temporary water conservation measures put in place to combat the ongoing statewide drought, with Brown pointing to some parts of the state that are still dealing with dry conditions and the likelihood of continued water shortages.

"Californians stepped up during this drought and saved more water than ever before," Brown said. "But now we know that drought is becoming a regular occurrence and water conservation must be a part of our everyday life."

Brown's order permanently bans practices such as hosing off sidewalks, driveways and other hard surfaces; using hoses without shut-off nozzles to wash cars; allowing runoff to occur when watering lawns; and failing to re-circulate fountain water.

Urban water suppliers like the Department of Water and Power will also need to provide monthly reports about water use, conservation and enforcement.

The order also instructs the State Water Resources Control Board to tweak water conservation rules by January and create emergency restrictions for the next year.

Since water-conservation mandates were imposed by Brown in June 2015, DWP customers have cut their use by a cumulative 15.8 percent compared to the same period beginning in June 2013 -- the baseline year used by the state to measure savings. The state-imposed conservation mandate for the DWP is 14 percent.

Across California, residents have cut their use by 23.9 percent since June 2015 -- just below Brown's call for a 25 percent reduction.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock