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Fountain Valley Adopts Resolution Declaring End to Water Supply Shortage

Fountain Valley has declared an end to a water supply shortage it had been observing for the past 11 months.

The City Council, at its May 2 meeting, voted unanimously to adopt a resolution restoring the normal water supply conditions for the community.

Here’s How Southern California’s Drought Emergency Could Affect You

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies. The reason? Drought conditions are limiting imported water supplies from the State Water Project in Northern California and the Colorado River.

All of Southern California Under Drought Emergency, According to Metropolitan Water District

Outside of Mark Larson’s home are 12 acres of blossoming Bird of Paradise. Flowers have grown on his farm since the 1960s. “Once you get used to the country and all this open space it’s hard to go back to the city,” said Larson. However, he says agriculture is disappearing from San Diego County, due in part to the cost of and access to water.

Drought Emergency Declared for All Southern California

As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.

The decision from MWD’s board came about eight months after officials declared a similar emergency for 7 million people who are dependent on supplies from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and dams that convey water from Northern California. Residents reliant on California’s other major supply — the Colorado River — had not been included in that emergency declaration.

California Farmers Preparing for State Water Curtailment Orders

Farmers up and down California are once again facing an uncertain season ahead of them as a state water curtailment order issued in August 2021 continues to take its toll on farming and ranching families.

In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling a drought emergency and asking for water conservation. Soon after, farmers and ranchers in California received curtailment orders from the California Water Board (CWB) to either immediately or prepare to suspend their senior water rights.

Marin Grand Jury Report Blasts Water Supply Planning

The Marin Municipal Water District has failed to adequately prepare for severe drought and should create a four-year water supply, the Marin civil grand jury said in a new report.

Last year, the district faced depleting local reservoir supplies as soon as summer 2022. While rains in late 2021 nearly refilled reservoirs, the drought “exposed serious shortcomings” in the district’s ability to offer a reliable water supply and has shaken public confidence in the district’s leadership, the report states.

California Seeks to Rein in Water Usage by Closing a Nearly 2-Month Gap in Getting Data From Suppliers

In response to prolonged drought across the West and ahead of the scorching summer months, California is asking its urban water suppliers to voluntarily report water consumption data sooner — so the state can better assess whether its water conservation goals are being met.

Years of low rainfall and snowpack coupled with more intense heat waves have fueled the state’s historic, multiyear drought conditions, rapidly draining its reservoirs.

In This SF Bay Area County, You Can Rat on Water Wasters Who May Face Fines Up to $10,000

It’s a sign the drought is worsening: One of the largest water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area became the first in the state on Wednesday to introduce a program to fine water wasters who ignore repeated warnings.

Santa Clara Valley Water customers could face fines, as little as $100 and as high as $10,000 in the most extreme cases, for not following rules aimed at reducing outdoor water use.

Outdoor Watering Restrictions Cause Panic

Property owners in the Santa Monica Mountains and nearby communities worried about the upcoming mandate severely restricting outdoor water usage were given answers and tips on how to comply at a town hall organized by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD). Legitimate concerns about brown lawns and brush dry hillsides in fire-prone areas prompted more than 1,000 homeowners to attend LVMWDs virtual meeting May 11.

Farmers Across State Face New Water Cuts, California Farm Bureau Reports

With 60% of the state now in extreme drought conditions, state officials are warning water-right holders that they should expect more curtailments during peak irrigation season in June and July.

In a statement last week, the state Division of Water Rights said “curtailments are expected to increase progressively through the spring and summer and continue through the early fall until significant precipitation occurs.”