Water Supplier For Half Of CA Residents Has Already Used Two-Thirds Of Stored Supplies

[hatrack]

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — The giant wholesaler that provides drinking water for half the California population has run through two-thirds of its stored supplies as the state contends with a punishing drought. That’s according to Jeffrey Kightlinger, the general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Without plentiful rain and snow in coming months, Kightlinger said in a speech in Los Angeles Monday that the water agency could consider cutbacks to its regional distributors next year.

If such limits are approved, that could lead to rationing or cuts for households in portions of Southern California.

At the current rate, billions of gallons in remaining agency reserves could be drained in about 18 months.

EDIT

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/09/22/wholesale-water-supplier-to-half-californias-population-quickly-running-through-supplies-as-drought-drags-on/

[Adsos Letter]

1. Any idea what percentage of available water...

Any idea what percentage of available water goes to maintain the emerald green lawns so prevalent in SoCal?

My soon to be in-laws live in a development in the Riverside area (basically a desert). Emerald green lawns as far as the eye can see in that development (only slight hyperbole). They tell me that they are prohibited from cutting back on water by their HOA.

I wonder what percentage of water actually goes to landscaping?

[hunter]

2. Jerry Brown just signed legislation that outlaws these sorts of HOA restrictions.

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown signed a pair of bills on Thursday that protect residents in homeowners associations across San Diego County and California who want to replace their water guzzling lawns with drought tolerant plants, or just cut back on turf watering during a drought.

With the signing of Assembly Bill 2104, by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, HOAs will be prevented from penalizing residents for replacing their lawns with low-water plants over concerns about a neighborhood’s character. It doesn’t take away the power of HOAs to establish landscaping rules, as long as they allow for drought tolerant plants.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/18/hoa-drought-lawns-water-ab2104-gonzalez

I don't know what percentage of MWD water goes for landscaping.