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LA Approves Outdoor-Watering Restrictions

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Daily Newsby Margaret Shuttleworth / City News Service

Water conservation measures announced earlier this month by Mayor Eric Garcetti were approved Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council, confirming that outdoor watering in the city will be restricted to two days per week based on street addresses beginning June 1.

The restrictions, approved by a 13-0 vote, are more lenient than the one-day limit ordered earlier by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for areas that are dependent on water from the State Water Project.

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With a Third Year of Drought, Southern California Facing a Hot, Dry Summer

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is Monday. What’s in store for the upcoming season of beach days and barbecues in Southern California?

To start with, it will be dry. That’s not just because California’s Mediterranean climate means rain mostly falls during a few wet winter months, but because the state is in its third year of drought.

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Desert Farmers Concerned, Prepared for Extreme Drought

/in , , /by /NBC Palm Springsby Carmela Karcher

Currently, no water is running through pipes and canals for some farmers in Northern California.

It’s not even June.

Farmers there have experienced this before, but the concern of that happening is starting to trickle into the Coachella Valley.

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Unprecedented Fire, Wind and Snowmelt in the Southwest

/in , , /by /High Country Newsby Jonathan Thompson

It is mid-May, and a couple of days ago, the Hermits Peak Fire in northern New Mexico reached 299,565 acres in size, surpassing the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire as the state’s largest wildfire on record. At roughly the same time, on the other side of the state, the Black Fire ballooned from about 5,000 acres to 42,000 acres in a matter of hours. Within a few days, it had more than doubled again.

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Opinion: Welcome to the Real Hotel California Where Endless Water Use Is a Mirage

/in , /by /Manteca Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

Leave the water running while you brushed your teeth this morning?

If you didn’t open the faucet all the way and brushed your teeth thoroughly perhaps you sent a cup or so of water down the drain while you got the job done.

No big deal, right? It is only a cup of water.

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Opinion: Will Gov. Newsom Ever Require Mandatory Water Cuts?

/in , /by /The Mercury News

The problem with empty threats is, after a while, people just stop listening.

When it comes to water usage, Gov. Gavin Newsom is learning that lesson the hard way.

Newsom on Monday urged Californians to cut water consumption or face mandatory water restrictions as the state heads into its third summer of severe drought.

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Delta Water Crisis Linked to California’s Racist Past, Tribes and Activists Say

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Tribes and environmental groups are challenging how the state manages water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a major source for much of California, arguing the deterioration of the aquatic ecosystem has links to the state’s troubled legacy of racism and oppression of Native people.

A group of activists and Indigenous leaders is demanding that the state review and update the water quality plan for the Delta and San Francisco Bay, where fish species are suffering, algae blooms have worsened and climate change is adding to the stresses.

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LAFCO Extends Protest Hearing To June 14

/in , /by /Village Newsby Lucette Moramarco

Due to an old address being given out for the mailing of protest letters, causing some of the letters to be returned to their senders, the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission is extending the deadline for the submission of protest forms on the commission’s earlier conditional approval to expand Fallbrook Public Utility District’s activated functions to include (a) parks and recreation, (b) street lighting, and (c) roads and streets.

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California Businesses Face Turf Watering Ban Amid Historic Drought Conditions

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by City News Service Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The State Water Resources Control Board voted Tuesday to ban watering of non-functional turf at commercial, industrial and institutional properties, the latest in a series of steps to conserve water amid a historic drought.

The ban — which does not include turf at residences or turf used for recreation or community purposes — will be effective once approved by the Office of Administrative Law, which typically takes about 10 days, according to the board. Violations of the ban would be punishable by a fine of up to $500.

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California Bans Watering ‘Non-Functional’ Grass in Some Areas, Strengthening Drought Rules

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

California water regulators adopted emergency drought rules Tuesday that increase conservation requirements for water suppliers throughout the state and prohibit the watering of grass that is purely decorative at businesses and in common areas of subdivisions and homeowners associations.

The regulations outlaw the use of drinking water for irrigating “non-functional” grass at commercial, industrial and institutional properties.

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