Tuesday July 9, 2024
Newsweek —
A new regulation approved by California’s State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) last week is going to hit some cities a lot harder than others, with water suppliers in the Golden State’s Central Valley facing the biggest cuts.
The policy, called Making Conservation a California Way of Life, will require the state’s urban water suppliers to reduce the amount of water they provide to customers over the next 15 years. If they don’t, they could be fined as much as $10,000 a day.
The board’s goal is to make California more water-resilient and efficient, as well as avoiding the government having to introduce emergency measures during periods of drought.
It’s the first time that the state’s board has tried to introduce permanent water cuts, though formal adoption of the policy is now pending approval from the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). If approved, the regulation will come into effect by January 1, 2025.