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To Survive Drought, Parts of SoCal Must Cut Water Use by 35%. The New Limit: 80 Gallons a Day

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Ian James

When the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California this week unveiled its strictest-ever water restrictions for about 6 million residents, it did so with an urgent goal in mind: a 35% reduction in water consumption, equating to an allocation of about 80 gallons per person per day.

Officials said that’s the number needed to conserve critical supplies for health and safety amid worsening drought — and to prevent a full outdoor watering ban as soon as September. Currently, the average potable water use across the MWD’s service area — including residential, commercial and industrial water use — amounts to 125 gallons per person per day.

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Manteca Water Use Soars 14.6% as Drought Deepens

/in , , /by /Manteca Ripon Bulletinby Dennis Wyatt

Manteca’s per capita water use surged 14.6 percent in March as the city’s consumption continued to grow significantly over 2020 even after making adjustments for population gain.

The double-digit gain in year-to-year use comes nine months after Governor Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily cut water usage by 15 percent based on 2020 consumption levels. So far water use on average in California jurisdictions is down by 6 percent although Manteca clearly isn’t one of them.

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Las Vegas Board Approves Grass Ban in New Developments

/in , , /by /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Blake Apgar

A Southern Nevada water board approved a pair of resolutions Monday that seek to scale back future water consumption to accommodate population growth over the next several decades.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority board of directors approved one resolution to ban the installation of grass in new developments and another that supports a moratorium on the use of thirsty cooling units for new buildings.

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Much of California Missing the Mark in Water-Conservation Efforts During Drought

/in , , /by /CBS8 San Diego by Richard Allyn Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

 Months after Governor Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily cut back on their water use during this severe drought, much of the state is missing the mark.

While the initial data is limited, the Southern California region has so far managed to cut its water consumption by just a tenth of a percent.

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Sacramento Reduces Water Consumption but Falls Short of Newsom’s Goal for California

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

As California’s drought deepens, Sacramento residents are falling short of meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for water conservation — at least so far.

Area residents reduced water usage by an average of 6% last month, compared to August 2020, according to data released this week by the Sacramento Regional Water Authority. That compares with the 15% voluntary goal announced by Newsom in an executive order in July.

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Ramona Water District Introduces New Phone App Residents Can Use to Pay Bills

/in , , /by /Ramona Sentinelby Julie Gallant

The Ramona Municipal Water District has unveiled a new mobile phone app that allows customers to view and pay bills and to review details of their account, including their water consumption history.

 

(Editor’s note: The Ramona Municipal District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

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Coronavirus Lockdown Caused Dramatic Changes in Water Consumption, Research Finds

/in , , /by /Phys.Orgby Joe Stafford

New research has found that the coronavirus lockdown led to dramatic changes in water consumption in England and Wales, and that some of these are likely to continue even after the pandemic.

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Panelists Set to Explain Laws Limiting Water Consumption

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribune (Ramona Sentinel)by Julie Gallant

Panelists from several water districts will give updates on new laws affecting water consumption in California during an American Liberty Forum of Ramona event set for Saturday, June 27.

The free forum on Water Regulations Today and Tomorrow will be held at Ramona Mainstage, 626 Main St. Doors open at 11 a.m. and a video program starts at 11:30 a.m.

The focus will be on Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668.

SB 606 is in response to mandates that California achieve a 20 percent reduction in urban per capita water use by Dec. 31, 2020. Existing law requires each urban retail water supplier to develop urban water use targets and an interim urban water use target.

AB 1668 would require the state Water Resources Control Board to adopt long-term standards for the efficient use of water and would establish specified standards for per capita daily indoor residential water use.

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The World Is Getting Wetter, Yet Water May Become Less Available for North America and Eurasia

/in , /by /PHYS.orgby Dartmouth College

With climate change, plants of the future will consume more water than in the present day, leading to less water available for people living in North America and Eurasia, according to a Dartmouth-led study in Nature Geoscience. The research suggests a drier future despite anticipated precipitation increases for places like the United States and Europe, populous regions already facing water stresses.

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