Officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California said the restriction will apply to its member agencies that rely heavily on supplies from the State Water Project, but MWD called on all Southern California residents and businesses to reduce water use by 30% to combat drought conditions. unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.”
Metropolitan’s board declared a Water Shortage Emergency and, for the first time, implemented an Emergency Water Conservation Program, which requires member agencies in areas dependent on the State Water Project, home to 6M #SoCal residents, to restrict outdoor watering to 1 day a week.
— SoCal MWD (@mwdh2o) April 26, 2022
According to the MWD, the once-a-week watering restriction will affect about 6 million people in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties.
1/3 of our region, parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties, is facing an emergency due to reliance on severely limited supplies from NorCal. We require these areas to reduce outdoor watering to 1 day a week, but we need everyone #SoCal residents + businesses to save up to 30%.
— SoCal MWD (@mwdh2o) April 26, 2022
The last three years are projected to be the driest in our state’s history, leading to drought conditions like never before. Following today’s board actions, we will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 10am: https://t.co/8o6ydd6RF6
— SoCal MWD (@mwdh2o) April 26, 2022
The district board approved the measure Tuesday, but it is scheduled to take effect June 1.
Officials are expected to provide more details on the policy during a news conference on Wednesday morning.
MWD member water agencies that fail to enforce the requirement among their customers will face penalties of up to $2,000 per acre-foot of MWD-supplied water that exceeds monthly allotment limits.
The state has already severely restricted supplies from the State Water Project, cutting deliveries to 5% of requested allocations.
Although the MWD’s definition of areas dependent on the State Water Project is still changing, the outdoor irrigation restriction is expected to primarily affect areas of northwestern Los Angeles County and portions of the San Gabriel Valley.
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom directed the MWD and other water providers statewide to step up conservation efforts by advancing contingency plans for water shortages.
MWD offers a $2 per square foot rebate for people who replace their lawns with water-efficient landscaping. Rebates are also available at other local water agencies.
The rebate program has helped remove 200 million square feet of lawn, saving enough water to provide about 62,000 homes with water each year, officials said.
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