San Jose Declares Drought Emergency With Citywide Water Shortage
SAN JOSE (KCBS) –The San Jose City Council unanimously approved an emergency drought declaration on Tuesday, and one council member said it is time to purify recycled water to drinking standards, in an effort to combat the drought.
Councilman Sam Liccardo said we're doing such a good job with purification, it's time to stop segregating recycled water.
"Everybody appreciates the ick factor whenever you're dealing with recycled water. The good news is in communities like Orange County, they overcame that 35 years ago," he said.
The declaration makes it illegal to water lawns or landscaping between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
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California Drought: Full Coverage
"We don't have enough water. It's an emergency and we're trying to avoid it becoming a crisis," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. "So if we have another year of drought, it would be very, very bad. So trying to take action now makes it a lot easier to cope with it."
There is now a call for residents to reduce their water use by 20 percent, and city officials said restrictions could go even further if the drought continues.