Water Supply to SoCal Cut by 10%: 'The Era of Big Lawns is Over'
“I think we’re going to have to make some lifestyle changes...particularly how we use water outside,” said Bob Yamada, water resources manager for the San Diego County Water Authority before yesterday's decision by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) to cut water supplies by 10% to agencies such as San Diego, Long Beach and Los Angeles.
The drought has gotten better over the last few months, but water levels are below average for the third year in a row. "If Southern California has been waiting for a signal to implment mandatory conservation, they certainly got it yesterday from the MWD," Ryan Alsop of Long Beach Water twittered.
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council looked at, but rejected a proposal by the city's Department of Water and Power to get residents to reduce water consumption by 15% or face stiff penalties. Council wanted more time to study the conservation proposal, which they felt was not vetted enough.
However, the drought doesn't need to be vetted too much. One thing is for sure and Yamada knows that. “The era of big lawns is over,” he said.