Stricter water conservation measures considered by state to combat drought
The State Resources Control Board announced Tuesday it will consider new water conservation efforts to combat the drought.
The decision comes one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom warned California might have to enact mandatory water-use restrictions as the drought gets worse.
"Every water agency across the state needs to take more aggressive actions to communicate about the drought emergency and implement conservation measures," Newsom said.
The city of Los Angeles has already moved forward on some stricter water-use limits.
Starting June 1, the city will begin to implement two-day outdoor watering restrictions, cutting down from the current three-day rule, with watering permitted at odd-numbered street addresses on Mondays and Fridays, and at even-numbered addresses on Thursdays and Sundays.
On Friday, Mayor Eric Garcetti met with California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot to highlight the need to protect the region's trees, even with water restrictions, amid the historic drought.
Trees can capture stormwater, improve water quality and reduce flood risk, along with helping air quality and the impacts of heat waves.
The Department of Public Works gave tips to Angelenos to protect their trees, noting that they provide extensive benefits to health and quality of life.
"Trees provide so many benefits for the quality of life and our environment," Board of Public Works President Aura Garcia said. "But as we go through this period to reduce water usage through various ways, we want to share this important information for residents to help maintain and preserve trees in their yards, while conserving water."
The board is scheduled to vote on a statewide ban on watering non-functional turf at institutional, industrial and commercial locations.
The board will also consider requiring local agencies to implement water-use restrictions -- with local water agency limits currently covering only about half of California's population.
Newsom will meet with the agencies again in two months to get an update on conservation efforts. He also asked them to submit water use data more frequently and increase transparency so the state can more accurately measure whether it is meeting its conservation goals.
