Drought Puts Six Million Southern California Residents Under Water Restrictions

Southern California is facing water restrictions for the first time due to relentless drought conditions.

Local authorities have been forced to take drastic measures to limit water usage for both residential and commercial establishments for six million residents in the state.

Water Restrictions

In a Twitter post on Tuesday, April 26, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California declared a water shortage emergency and imposed an emergency water conservation program due to the ongoing drought-driven water crisis.

In the announcement, the MWD requires all member organizations in areas dependent on the government-mandated State Water Project to limit outdoor watering to once a week.

It will depend on these organizations on how they will impose the restrictions.

The Southern California local water agency also highlighted that residents and businesses will be required to cut water use by up to 30% of these measures are consistently followed.

However, it is not clear if the water restrictions, which are scheduled to start on June 1, will be implemented on a mandatory or voluntary basis.

For instance, there are no provided rotating water cuts timetables yet that will show when the water supply will be available during specific hours.

This is reportedly the first time the agency took such measures.

MWD officials stated that the drought is serious and has brought one of the most challenging circumstances that the region has ever faced, as cited by AccuWeather.

Drought is a climatic condition characterized by unusual warm or hot temperatures, which can indefinitely last.

Related incidents in the past have shown that a drought can last for several days, weeks, months, or even years.

Which Areas are Affected?

Based on the said water restrictions, people living in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties will be affected by the once-a-week watering restriction, as per City News Service.

This comes after the California government issued an order for water authorities to come up with contingency plans.

In March, California Governor Gavin Newsom instructed the MWD and other water suppliers across the state to speed up water conservation efforts by taking the current water shortage measures to the next level.

Other measures imposed by the local government include the so-called "rebate program," which rewards people with $2 USD per square foot of grass converted into water-efficient landscaping.

These rebates are also available from other local water agencies.

California Drought

The MWD acknowledged that the past three years have been the driest in California's history.

This fact is in line with previous research that highlighted that the Western US, which includes California, has recorded its driest period between 2000 and 2021.

The study was published in the journal Natural Climate Change in February, where researchers also postulated that the ongoing drought in the region may continue until 2030.

This is due to climate change and global warming caused by human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG).

Aside from depleting water reservoirs, drought conditions can also result in agricultural damage and pose life-threatening risks for both humans and animals due to dehydration and conditions associated with prolonged exposure to abnormal heat.