As Drought Returns, Water Use Climbs In Southern California Enclaves

Overall water use is climbing in Southern California as parts of the state plunge back into drought, driving state and regional water managers to consider permanently reinstating some watering bans and conservation programs. Gov. Jerry Brown lifted California’s drought emergency status a year ago, after a wet winter that snapped a historic 2013-2017 drought, and the state ended his 25 percent mandatory conservation order.