Water Supply Alert Issued for SoCal

One week after Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a statewide water drought, the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California has issued a water supply alert to the 18 million people in the six counties it serves, which includes Los Angeles County. The alert is the second of three steps to impose water rationing.

“A ‘water supply alert’ does not mean less water being supplied; it means that the water being supplied is severely depleting reserves, and that if water use is not cut to help balance the use of reserves, the region will more likely be in a shortage and instituting rationing,” Bob Muir, an MWD spokesman, explained to the OC Register's Sciencedude blogger, Gary Robbins.

Record-dry conditions in the Colorado River and environmental protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have added to the short supply of water. "The MWD is tapping into its groundwater storage to meet current water demands. Over the last two years, Metropolitan has used about half of its dry- year reserves," reports KNBC.

Photo by Mr. McGladdery via Flickr