Drought emergency declaration is fine and dandy but what about the consequences

[theking]

..for those that don't care like filthy rich?  :

Drought emergency declared for all Southern California

As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.

The decision from the MWD's board came about eight months after officials declared a similar emergency for 7 million people who are dependent on supplies from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and dams that convey water from Northern California. Residents reliant on California's other major supply — the Colorado River — had not been included in that emergency declaration.

"Conditions on the Colorado River are growing increasingly dire," MWD Chairwoman Gloria Gray said in a statement. "We simply cannot continue turning to that source to make up the difference in our limited state supplies. In addition, three years of California drought are drawing down our local storage."

[theking]

Here's how Southern California's drought emergency could affect you

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies.

The reason? Drought conditions are limiting imported water supplies from the State Water Project in Northern California and the Colorado River.

State Water Project-dependent areas have been under mandatory restrictions for months, including limiting outdoor watering to once or twice a week and new pushes for drought-tolerant landscaping.

But areas reliant on the Colorado River had been spared — until now. The call for conservation in those areas is voluntary, but officials warned it could become mandatory if drought conditions persist in the coming months.

What does this mean for water supplies in my community?
Experts say there's a good chance drought conditions will continue. By April, the MWD will consider allocating supplies to all of its 26 member agencies, requiring them to either cut their use of imported water or face steep fees. The agencies together serve about 19 million people.

MWD member agencies, which include the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Municipal Water District of Orange County and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, will implement voluntary and mandatory conservation measures at the local level based on particular circumstances, officials said. Those with local supplies or alternative options may be able to rely on them in the interim.

The DWP, which imports state and federal water as well as water from the Owens Valley via the Los Angeles Aqueduct, has been under Level 3 of its water shortage contingency plan since June, including two-day-a-week outdoor watering limitations.

The mandatory measures in State Water Project-dependent areas will continue through at least June and possibly longer, the MWD said.

What areas would be covered?
The water restrictions earlier this year covered about 7 million residents. The new one will cover the entire service area, about 19 million people.

Why now?
About half of the MWD’s imported water comes from the State Water Project and half from the Colorado River — both of which have become "extraordinaril y stressed by prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change," the agency said.

[theking]

Dec. 14, 2022, at 7:45 p.m. LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation's largest water supplier has declared a drought emergency for all of Southern California, clearing the way for potential mandatory water restrictions early next year that could impact 19 million people.