Metropolitan Water District lifts watering restrictions for millions due to lessened drought conditions
Several recent powerful storms have soaked the Southland since the start of the new year, leading local water districts to lessen the restrictive watering guidelines previously in place due to the severe drought.
An uncharacteristically wet winter has seen 11 different atmospheric rivers hit California, bringing feet worth of precipitation along with it, alleviating the concerns that came along with the drought.
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to rescind previous restrictions for six water agencies in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, all of which heavily rely on supplies from the State Water Project.
Previous restrictions, spurred by a lingering and record-breaking drought, limited nearly 7 million residents throughout the affected areas to water outside just one day a week, dating back to June 1, 2022. Dwindling water reserves throughout the state led multiple water agencies to impose restrictions to outdoor watering in hopes of retaining what they could.
In December, the Department of Water Resources announced that agencies throughout the state would only be receiving 5% of their usual requested allocations for this reason, but with the recent storms, that number rose to 30% in January and 35% in February.
"While we certainly appreciate the improved water supply conditions, I want to caution everyone that our challenges are not over," said Adel Hagekhalil, MWD General Manager. "We ask everyone to remain diligent in saving water regardless of the weather."
While portions of the Golden State do remain in "severe drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, current recordings show a drastic difference from the beginning of the year, when most of the state was considered to be in "extreme drought" with a large portion in "exceptional drought."
Despite this, MWD officials made note that even though restrictions are lifted, California's water supply is still considered to be limited, so residents should do their best to continue limiting water usage.
"We know these last nine months were a sacrifice for the dozens of communities under mandatory restrictions," said Adán Ortega Jr., an MWD board member. "On behalf of Metropolitan, I want to express our deep appreciation to all those who helped us stretch our available water supplies to get us through the acute emergency. We need a 35 percent reduction in use, and through your remarkable efforts, you achieved that. Thank you."
As it stands, California is among a group of six states ordered by the federal government to work on limiting their reliance on Colorado River water starting in 2024.
Residents who are serviced by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power remain under the watering restrictions placed into effect last year, which call for residents to water just twice a week, with those at odd-numbered addresses allowed to water on Mondays and Fridays, and those at even-numbered addresses on Thursdays and Sundays.
