Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Governor Orders First-Ever Mandatory Urban Water Restrictions

Governor Jerry Brown is ordering the first ever statewide mandatory water reductions. He’s calling for cuts in water use in cities and counties by 25 per cent. The reductions will include replacing 50 million square feet of lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping, cuts in watering of golf courses and cemeteries, and consumer rebates for water-efficient appliances. The goal is to save 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months. Some critics say the order ignores agricultural water use and water-intensive oil drilling techniques like fracking. Christopher Martinez reports.