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Preparing for a fourth consecutive dry year, Metropolitan’s Board of Directors on Tuesday declared a Regional Drought Emergency for all of Southern California and called upon water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.
In adopting the resolution, Metropolitan’s board warned the water-saving call could become mandatory if drought conditions persist in the coming months. By April, Metropolitan will consider allocating supplies to all its 26 member agencies, requiring them to cut their use of imported water or face steep additional fees on water purchased from Metropolitan. Read the press release.
This resolution follows the California Department of Water Resources' announcement on Dec. 1 of an initial State Water Project allocation of 5 percent, plus additional supplies to meet health and safety needs. Read our statement.
"Since this drought began, we have been steadily increasing our call for conservation. If we don’t have an extremely wet winter, we will need to elevate to our highest level – a water supply allocation for all of Southern California. Substantial and immediate conservation now and in the coming months will help lessen the potential severity of such an allocation,” General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said.
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