California Governor Signs Executive Order To Continue Water Savings

California’s Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has issued an executive order that builds on temporary statewide emergency water restrictions to establish longer-term water conservation measures, including permanent monthly water use reporting, new permanent water use standards in California communities and bans on clearly wasteful practices such as hosing off sidewalks, driveways, and other hardscapes.

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“Californians stepped up during this drought and saved more water than ever before,” said Gov. Brown. “But now we know that drought is becoming a regular occurrence and water conservation must be a part of our everyday life.”

Between June 2015 and March 2016, Californians reduced water use by 23.9% compared with the same months in 2013 – saving enough water to provide 6.5 million Californians with water for one year.

While the severity of the drought has lessened in some parts of California after winter rains and snow, the current drought is not over. For the fifth consecutive year, dry conditions persist in many areas of the state, with limited drinking water supplies in some communities, diminished water for agricultural production and environmental habitat, and severely depleted groundwater basins. The executive order calls for long-term improvements to local drought preparation across the state, and directs the State Water Resources Control Board to develop proposed emergency water restrictions for 2017 if the drought persists.

These new actions will help achieve a top priority in the Governor’s Water Action Plan.

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Improve Agricultural Water Use Efficiency and Drought Planning

The state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) will update existing requirements for Agricultural Water Management Plans so that irrigation districts quantify their customers’ water use efficiency and plan for water supply shortages.

Current law requires agricultural water districts serving 25,000 acres or more to file such plans. The executive order increases the number of irrigation districts who must file water management plans by lowering the threshold to irrigation district serving 10,000 acres or more. DWR will check the plans to ensure they quantify conservation efforts and adequately plan for water shortages.

DWR will work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture in seeking public input on the updated standards, with a public draft made available by the end of this year.

To ensure compliance with these new targets and water management plan requirements, DWR, the State Water Board, and the California Public Utilities Commission will work together to develop methods, which could include technical and financial assistance, regulatory oversight, and enforcement mechanisms.

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