Water woes hit hard in Southern California

About 6 million Southern California residents near Los Angeles must restrict outdoor watering to one day a week, starting June 1. The unprecedented action was unanimously adopted by the Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors, according to a press release.

The areas affected rely on water from the Central Valley Project, the same project that delivers water to San Joaquin Valley growers.

With deliveries from the State Water Project severely reduced over the last three years because of drought, these communities face water shortages this year. The cities near Los Angeles are the most effected by the historic drought, the release said.

Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, cautioned that if enough water isn’t conserved in the coming months, or if supply conditions worsen, all outdoor watering could be banned in these communities as early as September.

“The reality is, this drought has left us without the water supply we need to meet normal demands in these areas. To make sure we have enough water for basic human health and safety needs, everyone in these communities must immediately and dramatically reduce their water use,” Hagekhalil said.

The historic drought situation is requiring historic action. With California facing its driest year on record, communities will be required to live with water reductions.

“Metropolitan has never before employed this type of restriction on outdoor water use. But we are facing unprecedented reductions in our Northern California supplies,” Hagekhalil said.

The State Water Project on average supplies 30 percent of the water used in Southern California, the release said. However, three consecutive years of severe dry conditions have resulted in the lowest deliveries ever from this critical supply over the past three years.

While the emergency is particularly acute in State Water Project-dependent communities, all Southern Californians have been called on to conserve by 20-30 percent under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order issued last month.