Water Officials: Unprecedented Drought Requires Unprecedented Action

One day after approving a restriction that will limit outdoor watering to once a week for millions of Southern California residents and businesses, leaders of the region’s water wholesaler said Wednesday they needed to take unprecedented steps to respond to what they call an unprecedented drought, and even tougher rules could soon follow.

Tuesday’s announcement from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California primarily impacts “dependent” areas (those agencies that rely solely on State Project water deliveries) and establishes a health and safety allocation for those agencies.

The City of Pasadena is not in a “dependent” MWD service area, but acknowledged that it does continue to receive imported water from the Colorado River system through MWD. The City also pumps local groundwater from the Raymond Basin.

“Pasadena is not one of the affected member agencies [and is] not being asked to restrict outdoor watering to one day a week,” said Maritza Fairfield, Public Affairs Representative of MWD.

Regardless, the drought is dramatically affecting all of Southern California.

“The reality is, this drought has left us without the water supply we need to meet normal demands in these areas,” Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said in a statement. “To make sure we have enough water for their basic human health and safety needs, everyone in these communities must immediately and dramatically reduce their water use.”

The agency noted that the first three months of the year in California were the driest in recorded history, even though that is the time when the state typically receives nearly half of its precipitation.

MWD Executive Officer Deven Upadhyay said that his agency has only “a little more than half of the water that we need to be able to make it through the summertime and into the end of the year under normal demands, and that’s why normal will not work.”

The MWD urged all Southern California residents and businesses to slash water use by 30% to combat drought conditions “unlike anything we’ve experienced before.”

In a statement issued by the City of Pasadena, officials said with the drought persisting and conditions worsening, it is imperative for Pasadena residents and businesses to take the following steps:

• Ensure compliance with the Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan as listed in the Pasadena Municipal Code (PMC) 13.10; more information about the plan and PMC can be found at https://www.PWPweb.com/Schedule.
• Follow the Summer Outdoor Watering Schedule, which began April 1, and will continue through October.

Outdoor watering must take place before 9 AM or after 6 PM, as follows:

Even-numbered addresses water on Mondays and Thursdays
Odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesdays and Fridays

• Replace turf with drought-tolerant and California native plants, which use less water and are more resilient to heat and drought.
• Optimize irrigation systems by retrofitting to a drip irrigation system.
• Repair all leaks and adjust sprinkler spray to avoid water waste.