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WATER NEWS Los Angeles Mayor Calls for 24/7 Water Conservation LOS ANGELES, California, February 9, 2009 (ENS) - In response to severe, statewide water shortages, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today called for an acceleration of water restrictions under his 20 year water strategy as well as implementation of shortage-year water rates. The mayor wants to move Los Angeles to implementation of Phase III of the City's Water Conservation Ordinance, which will restrict outdoor irrigation to two days a week - on Mondays and Thursdays only. "Water shortages are becoming permanent realities," the mayor said. "With new water-use prohibitions and shortage-year water rates in place, Los Angeles will continue to lead the state in water conservation." " Our water supplies have been cut and our snow pack in the Eastern Sierra is precariously low," said David Nahai, chief executive and general manager of the LA Department of Water and Power. "We are now in a situation where all of Los Angeles must be in a water conservation mode 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year round, rain or shine.conservation and create a path for a more sustainable future."  Is California the New Dust Bowl? By Bryan Corliss | February 26th, 2009 A three-year drought is taking its toll on California agriculture, and that could end up affecting what Americans eat — and how much we pay for it. Reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada mountains are at about a third of their capacity California’s Central Valley — announced that it will not give California farmers any water this year, in an effort to save what it has for municipal, industrial and environmental purposes. California's dry future The state may experience a water shortage this year. Residents have no choice but to use less and pay more for it. Los Angeles Times By William Patzert and Timothy F. Brick February 24, 2009 The way Californians have been using water is simply not sustainable. We have no choice but to use less and to pay more for it. The region has not experienced the reality of water limits and widespread mandatory conservation for nearly a generation. We have never squarely faced the future. Los Angeles nears water rationing Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:10pm EST By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With a recent flurry of winter storms doing little to dampen California's latest drought, the nation's biggest public utility voted on Tuesday to impose water rationing in Los Angeles for the first time in nearly two decades. Under the plan adopted in principle by the governing board of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, homes and businesses would pay a penalty rate -- nearly double normal prices -- for any water they use in excess of a reduced monthly allowance. The five-member board plans to formally vote on details of the measure next month. The only other time such penalty pricing was imposed..March 1991… That measure cut citywide water use by about 25 percent, DWP spokesman Joseph Ramallo said. ..to restrict lawn sprinkler use to two days a week, as urged by the mayor. Outdoor irrigation accounts for 40 percent of residential water use in the city, DWP officials say. The Consequences of Falling Short on Water Conservation By ROB DAVIS If cuts arrive in July, cities across the county will require residents to save water immediately or face financial penalties. "There gets to be a point where the way we landscape has to be totally redone in San Diego County," said Mark Weston, general manager of the Helix Water District in La Mesa. "That is a major overhaul. Twenty percent water savings is a huge goal and a really, really big change." |