Over 6 Million California Residents Hit with ‘Unprecedented’ Water Restrictions

More than six million California residents have been hit with “unprecedented” water restrictions on Wednesday as the state manages the worst drought in recorded history.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to nearly 19 million Californians, declared a water shortage emergency in April and unanimously voted to impose water restrictions.

“Metropolitan has never before employed this type of restriction on outdoor water use. But we are facing unprecedented reductions in our Northern California supplies, and we have to respond with unprecedented measures,” said the water district’s general manager, Adel Hagekhali. “We’re adapting to climate change in real time.”

California is facing its third year of drought, which has reportedly produced the driest conditions in the state in at least 1,200 years. As a result, Governor Newsom (D) pleaded with all California water agencies to “take more aggressive actions to communicate about the drought emergency and implement conservation measures,” last week.

“Californians made significant changes since the last drought but we have seen an uptick in water use, especially as we enter the summer months. We all have to be more thoughtful about how to make every drop count,” Newsom added.

Starting Wednesday, Southern California residents in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties will be limited to outdoor water usage one or two days out of the week or have water volume restrictions. The Metropolitan Water District targeted these three counties because they are dependent on water transported from Northern California regions. The agency has also requested all Southern California residents to diminish water usage by 20 to 30 percent.

For example, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) customers are limited to watering their grass or plants two days out of the week, with dedicated days based on home address. Residents who live in homes with odd-numbered street addresses may water Monday and Friday, while even-numbered street addresses may water Thursday and Sunday.

Outdoor watering is prohibited for all residents between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. To enforce the restrictions, LADWP will reportedly patrol Los Angeles streets to “educate Angelenos on the days of the week watering restrictions and to enforce the ordinance.”

Individuals not in compliance with the water restrictions will be given informational warnings on how to conserve water. After the first warning, another violation could see penalties as high as $1,200.