Tougher CA Water Restrictions Could Expand To Petaluma

PETALUMA, CA — Some of the driest months on record in California have set residents up for even tighter water restrictions this summer.

Petaluma is among the Northern California communities where mandatory water restrictions have already been imposed. Under a Local Drought Emergency proclaimed by the city of Petaluma in September 2021, the city is currently in Stage 4 of its Multi-Stage Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which is designed to reduce the city's water usage by 30 percent through mandatory water-use restrictions.

Under Stage 4 restrictions, Petalumans must limit landscape their outdoor watering schedule to two times per week — overnight Tuesday and Saturday, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. — must only use hoses with a shut-off nozzle and turn off decorative fountains and other water features. Further, Petaluma residents can not fill new pools or spas, or top off existing pools and spas.

Under Stage 4 restrictions for commercial water customers in Petaluma, water is to be served in restaurants by request only. (See the complete list of Petaluma water-use restrictions here.)

Is Petaluma In For Even Stricter Water-Use Rules?

A worsening drought situation could prompt officials across the Golden State to impose even stricter rules.

In Southern California, six million residents will fall under new water restrictions June 1. Outdoor watering in dozens of Southland cities will be restricted to just one day a week, according to the Metropolitan Water District, which serves 18 million people.

"This is a crisis unlike anything that we've seen before," MWD Executive Officer Deven Upadhyay said.

Although water conservation in all facets of daily life will help, officials have identified outdoor watering as one of the biggest contributing factors of the water shortage. As a result of water conservation efforts, yellow and brown lawns will be the norm this summer.

Residents across California were urged to make changes to save water such as removing lawns and replacing them with native plants that require less irrigation.

During the state's annual April 1 Sierra Nevada snowpack survey, officials found that levels were just 38 percent of average. The state has received 15.63 inches of rain this year, 75 percent of the historical average, according to California Water Watch.

This, coupled with Gov. Gavin Newsom's January emergency drought declaration, could eventually trigger another summer of water restrictions statewide.

Despite the healthy dosage of snow and rain to Northern California last month, the state is still sinking into drought.

The state emergency regulations direct residents to:

• Turn off decorative water fountains.
• Turn off/pause irrigation system when it's raining and for two days after rain.
• Use an automatic shutoff nozzle on water hoses.
• Use a broom, not water, to clean sidewalks and driveways.
• Give trees just the water they need: avoid overwatering.

To save water inside the home, residents can fix leaky pipes, buy a low-flow showerhead, install a low flush toilet, upgrade old dishwashers and install a water aerator onto the kitchen sink.

Newsom last month directed water suppliers statewide to ramp up conservation efforts by advancing water-shortage contingency plans.

State lawmakers recently took a first step toward lowering the standard for how much water people use in their homes.

California’s current standard for residential indoor water use is 55 gallons per person per day. The rule doesn’t directly apply to customers, meaning regulators don’t cite individuals for using more water than permitted. Instead, the state requires water agencies to meet that standard across all of its customers.

But the state Senate overwhelmingly voted last week to lower the standard to 47 gallons per person per day starting in 2025 and 42 gallons per person per day beginning in 2030.

The bill has not yet passed the Assembly, meaning it is still likely months away from becoming law.

Most of Northern California and 92 percent of the state is facing severe drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought System. Such conditions have the potential to lengthen and intensify fire season as fuels continue to dry out. Severe drought can also stress trees, trigger plants to increase reproductive mechanisms and increase diseases among wildlife.

Much of the central part of Northern California is under extreme drought. Under extreme conditions, livestock often need costly supplemental feed as little pasture remains, fire season can last year-round and water is inadequate for agriculture. Reservoirs in these areas are also extremely low.

The U.S. West is in the middle of a severe drought just a few years after record rain and snowfall filled reservoirs to capacity.

Scientists say this boom-and-bust cycle is driven by climate change that will be marked by longer, more severe droughts. A study from earlier this year found the U.S. West was in the middle of a megadrought that is now the driest in at least 1,200 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.