Advertisement

Mandatory unprecedented water restrictions ordered in California

Governor wants 25 percent reduction in water use amid historic drought conditions.

By Scott Smith
Folsom Lake Marina, high and dry pictured in 2014. File Photo by Ken James/UPI
Folsom Lake Marina, high and dry pictured in 2014. File Photo by Ken James/UPI | License Photo

SACRAMENTO, April 1 (UPI) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown announced the first mandatory water restrictions in the state's history on Wednesday.

The state has been in a severe drought for four years.

Advertisement

Brown's executive order aims for a 25 percent cutback in water use across the state. The limits will affect everyone in the state, from residents to farmers to businesses.

"This historic drought demands unprecedented action," Brown said in the statement.

The state recently recorded its lowest snowpack since records have been kept. Winter snowmelt provides much of the state's available water.

Brown's order aims to, among other things, replace 50 million square feet of lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping, offer rebates to replace inefficient appliances, require golf courses and other large landscapes to "make significant cuts in water use" and mandate drip irrigation systems in new home construction.

The order also calls for enforcement of the new rules by creating "conservation pricing," where rates go up considerably with more use, and requiring more strenuous reporting of water distribution and use by farmers and utilities.

Advertisement

Brown declared a state of emergency in 2014 due to the drought.

Latest Headlines