Water Board Set On Renewing Required Conservation
Sacramento, CA — The State Water Resources Control Board released a proposed draft of the Emergency Water Conservation Regulations similar to its previous requirements.
Katheryn Landau, Environmental Scientist in Groundwater Management Program at State Water Resources Control Board, says, “We are not even close to where we need to be to and conserving what we have is the most cost effective effective way to stretch out supply. We don’t know if the next two months are going to bring the considerable rain and snow that we need to make a dent in this drought and we certainly don’t know what will follow that.”
As reported in November Governor Brown extended a mandatory 25 percent water use reduction. He also bolstered California’s enforcement of the reduction, citing “a range of extreme weather events” noting not only the severity of the four year drought but also the impact of wildfires and El Niño. The order posted here called for the water board to review the water situation in January 2016 and, if needed, choose to extend the emergency restrictions until Oct. 31, 2016.
The water board noted it will readdress the situation fully in April after the majority of the rainy season is over. The Conservation Regulations state “The drought conditions that formed the basis of the Governor’s emergency proclamations continue to exist; and the drought conditions will likely continue for the foreseeable future and additional action by both the State Water Resources Control Board and local water suppliers will likely be necessary to prevent waste and unreasonable use of water and to further promote conservation.”
The full text of the draft with minor changes of current regulations is online here.
Local water conservation efforts of the three major districts; Calaveras County Water District (CCWD), Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) and Groveland Community Services District (GCSD) were detailed in our January 5, 2016 news story here.
