Urban water use in California dropped by 27%, surpassing the imposed mandatory limit of 25%.
California was put into a State of Emergency by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. last January 17, 2014 due to the extreme drought experienced by the state. Governor Brown proclaimed on April 25, 2014 that the State of Emergency will carry on.
The Mandatory reduction of water usage by 25% was drafted by Governor Brown on April 1, 2015 in the Executive Order B-29-15.
It is written in the draft that the Executive Order was made because of the following reasons:
1) The severe depletion of water supplies despite the limited amount of rain and snowfall, decreased water levels in most of California water reservoirs, and reduced water flows in (the) State's river, shrinking supplies in underground water basins.
2) The severe drought conditions continue to impose challenges such as: shortage on drinking waters; diminished water for agricultural use; degraded habitat for marine animals; high wildfire risk; and threat of salt water contamination to fresh water.
3) There is a high possibility that the drought may extend until 2016.
4) New advanced actions are needed to reduce (the) harmful effects of water shortage and extreme drought.
5) The water shortage and extreme drought threatens the safety of persons and property.
6) Strict compliance with various statutes and regulations imposed in this order may hinder, delay, or prevent the mitigation of the effects of the drought.
The Purpose of the Executive Order is to: first, save water; second, increase enforcement against water waste; third, invest in new technologies; and finally, to streamline government response.
The Executive Order was released to the media last April 15, 2014 and also took effect on the same date.
The State Water Resources Control Board released a complete and detailed tally of the submitted compliance list of different water suppliers.
The tally shows that 265 out of 411 local agencies hit or almost hit their mandated saving targets, while 16 missed their saving targets by more than 15%.
