California will impose permanent water restrictions for the first time in history after the state’s Water Resources Control Board approved a long-debated policy.
The policy, dubbed Making Conservation a California Way of Life, is intended to permanently decrease statewide water use so that water reductions during droughts aren’t as severe. The new policy was prompted by legislation signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018.
Retail water suppliers, not individual households or businesses, will now be required to reduce their water use by close to 30% over the next 15 years. Suppliers who do not follow the new guidelines will face $10,000 daily fines.
Suppliers will have to find ways to encourage their customers to reduce their water usage, such as imposing restrictions or promoting the use of low-flow appliances.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the cuts will not be based on a one-size-fits-all method but on a formula that weighs several factors, including the area’s past water consumption, climate, and land use.
Some areas, like the Bay Area, won’t see dramatic reductions since water use in the region has historically been low. For the Los Angeles County area, water use reductions will also vary.
According to the California State Water Resources Control Board, the California American Water Company – Los Angeles Division should see a water usage reduction by 15% come 2040; however, Los Angeles County Waterworks District 40 – Antelope Valley has a higher projection of 42% by the same year.
The new rules are expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025; the first round of cuts will happen by 2027. Unsurprisingly, some water agencies have been critical of the policy, while some environmental groups expressed that the water reduction percentages should have been higher.