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| California governor orders water restrictions amid historic drought | California governor orders water restrictions amid historic drought |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The governor of California has ordered unprecedented and mandatory water restrictions in the state as officials are set to announce historically low levels of snowpack in the state’s mountain range. | The governor of California has ordered unprecedented and mandatory water restrictions in the state as officials are set to announce historically low levels of snowpack in the state’s mountain range. |
| Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered the State Water Resources Control Board to reduce statewide water use by 25%. The action – the first time ever state officials have imposed mandatory water restrictions – is expected to save 1.5m acre-feet of water by the year’s end. | |
| Related: California drought goes from bad to worse as state grapples with heat wave | Related: California drought goes from bad to worse as state grapples with heat wave |
| Experts say a massive response is needed to confront California’s punishing dry spell, now languishing into a fourth year and exacerbated by scorching temperatures. | Experts say a massive response is needed to confront California’s punishing dry spell, now languishing into a fourth year and exacerbated by scorching temperatures. |
| Saying “a distinct possibility exists that the current drought will stretch into a fifth straight year in 2016 and beyond,” Brown’s order requires city and town water suppliers to reduce per capita usage. | Saying “a distinct possibility exists that the current drought will stretch into a fifth straight year in 2016 and beyond,” Brown’s order requires city and town water suppliers to reduce per capita usage. |
| The Associated Press reported Brown’s order will require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to significantly cut water use; order local governments to replace 50 million square feet of lawns on throughout the state with drought-tolerant landscaping; and create a temporary rebate program for consumers who replace old water-sucking appliances with more efficient ones. | The Associated Press reported Brown’s order will require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to significantly cut water use; order local governments to replace 50 million square feet of lawns on throughout the state with drought-tolerant landscaping; and create a temporary rebate program for consumers who replace old water-sucking appliances with more efficient ones. |
| Brown’s order would also: | Brown’s order would also: |
| “It’s a different world,” Jerry Brown said. “We have to act differently.” | “It’s a different world,” Jerry Brown said. “We have to act differently.” |
| Brown made the announcement while standing on a patch of brown grass in the Sierra Nevada, which would have historically been covered in snow. | Brown made the announcement while standing on a patch of brown grass in the Sierra Nevada, which would have historically been covered in snow. |
| “This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” Brown said in a statement. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.” | “This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” Brown said in a statement. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.” |
| The 1 April snowpack survey is an important indicator of the amount of water the state will have in its reservoirs as the state’s wet historically wet season winds down. | The 1 April snowpack survey is an important indicator of the amount of water the state will have in its reservoirs as the state’s wet historically wet season winds down. |
| California relies on a series of massive storms during the winter months to drop snow on California’s mountain ranges. During the spring and summer months the snowpack melts and fills the state’s reservoirs. Historically, 1 April marked peak snowpack for the year. This year, the mountain runoff will likely be just a trickle.David Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources, said the water runoff expected from snow melt is expected to be only 5% to 6% of the state average for the date.Rizzardo said the previous driest condition on this date was 25%, in 2014 and 1977.“We’re not only setting a new low, we’re completely obliterating the previous record,” he said on a conference call with reporters. “And this is the supply of 30% of the state’s fresh water.”To conduct the survey, the state’s water agency dispatches researchers manually measure the level of snow at 250 separate sites in the Sierra Nevada, Rizzardo said. Additionally, the survey includes readings from 130 automated snow sensors. An official count will be released on Wednesday afternoon.Last week, Brown signed into law a more-than-$1bn plan to fast-track emergency relief to drought-stricken cities and communities, including food aid and drinking water. The proposal also includes hundreds of millions of dollars to fund long-term projects, involving water recycling, conservation awareness and flood control projects. At the signing, Brown said the plan was part of a wider effort to prepare California for an “uncertain future”. | |
| The package followed action by the state water board this month to pass what has been described as the most restrictive water conservation measures in state history. The plan limits the number of days residents can water their yards, and requires bars and restaurants to ask customers if they would like a glass of water before serving it. | |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report | The Associated Press contributed to this report |