Get Ready for Brown Lawns: City Considers Tough New Watering Restriction

The number of days Los Angeles residents can water their lawns could be reduced from three to two under rules being considered in response to a continuing drought and calls for further conservation.

Residents are already restricted to watering their lawns three days out of the week, but with Gov. Jerry Brown mandating that local agencies reduce water usage by 25 percent, city officials have been tasked with finding ways to save more water.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said today they plan to present recommendations soon to the agency’s governing board for reducing water use -- including dropping the number of allowable outdoor watering days. The new regulations would be added to the DWP’s emergency water conservation ordinance, which has been in place since 2009.

If approved by the board, the changes would go to the Los Angeles City Council for a vote.

LADWP could also see some limitations set on its purchase of water from outside sources, with the regional Metropolitan Water District considering a roughly 15 percent cut in the amount of water it usually allocates to its member water agencies.

The reduction to two days a week of outdoor watering was proposed as a voluntary measure by Mayor Eric Garcetti in October, but action by the Los Angeles Water and Power Commission and City Council would make the reduction mandatory.

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