California "Has Only About One Year of Water Supply Left in its Reservoirs"

“Brown is the New Green” signs sprouted on lawns in several communities around the state last summer as residents let their lawns go dormant, rather than watering. You could be seeing them everywhere now that the California Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento enacted sweeping mandates aimed at saving water in our drought stricken state. The vote came this afternoon following hours of testimony.

Water districts have been instructed to impose outdoor watering restrictions on households and businesses, including golf courses. The new rules include prohibiting outdoor watering on days when it rains and two days afterward. And if local water districts don’t step up with their own plans, statewide rules will take effect limiting watering to two days a week.

That could impact the economies of desert communities of Riverside County carpeted with golf courses, including many that already use recycled or grey water.

The water board will also keep track of how local agencies enforce regulations. The City of Santa Cruz was praised during the public comment session for its tough stance on water cheats—imposing fines but also sending offenders to “water school,” similar to “traffic school” for those who get traffic tickets.

Today’s restrictions are on top of the rules enacted last July, after Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for a 20 percent reduction in water use produced just an 11 percent average cut.

While the actions are in response to the current drought, the water board discussed the possibility of permanent sanctions, even in years when we’re gushing with water.

An Op/Ed piece in the Los Angeles Times last Thursday by Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, predicted that California “has only about one year of water supply left in its reservoirs.”

He noted that we still have water in underground aquifers, but that water has been declining for the past 100 years as it’s been pumped for agricultural uses. Consequently, Famiglietti implored, “Several steps need be taken right now. First, immediate mandatory water rationing should be authorized across all of the state’s water sectors, from domestic and municipal through agricultural and industrial.”

While Californians are united in their understanding that something needs to be done—a Field Poll released on Feb. 26 shows that 94% of residents believe the drought is serious—they are divided on how to conserve. Just 34% of residents support mandatory water rationing, meaning today’s actions won’t sit well with the majority of voters. The number supporting rationing was highest in the Bay Area at 39% and lowest in Southern California at 31%.

In the Bay Area’s Santa Clara Valley, Luz Villa told KGO that she grows a large organic garden to feed her family, “I pretty much am self-sustainable. I want to be able to feed my family on my own without having to depend on going to the grocery store all the time. And I like to eat organic, so growing my own garden is especially important for me and the health of my family.” During hot weather she needs to water every day, a violation of the rules enacted today.

In the Southern California desert, the general manager of the City of Coachella’s water division, Kirk Cloyd, told The Desert Sun that the Coachella Valley reduced water usage last year by exactly the amount called for by Gov. Brown — 20 percent. So why should his community face even stricter rationing when it has already done its part?

California’s wet season is coming to an end with a skimpy snowpack and no moisture in the forecast. But the biggest storm clouds on the horizon are political, as California continues to weigh the needs of all citizens in this parched state.

--Image via Shutterstock

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