The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) decided on February 2 to extend California’s May 2015 Emergency Regulation restrictions on urban water use through October 2016. Despite recent rains and a growing snowpack, many of California’s reservoirs and groundwater basins remain depleted, fueling the need for continued water conservation. “While the recent rains and growing snowpack are wonderful to behold, we won’t know until spring what effect it will have on the bottom line for California’s unprecedented drought,” Felicia Marcus, chair of the SWRCB, said. “Until we can tally that ledger, we have to keep conserving water every way we can. Every drop saved today is one that we may be very glad we have tomorrow.” Emergency Regulation Under the revised regulation, statewide water conservation is expected to exceed 20% compared to 2013 water use. The regulation responds to calls for greater consideration of certain factors that influence water use in different parts of the state, including hotter-than-average climate, population growth, and significant investments in new local, drought resilient water sources, such as wastewater reuse and desalination. The regulation also directs staff to report back on additional flexibility once more complete water supply information is known in April. Snowpack Survey [...]
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