MWD rolls back mandatory water restrictions but renews call for conservation

Along with renewing their call for continued wise water use and conservation, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) announced Wednesday that the district’s Board of Directors has voted to roll back mandatory water restrictions that were instituted last summer.

“We join our member agencies and retailers throughout the region in thanking consumers for their continued water-savings efforts in response to the record drought.  The fact is that we would not be taking this action today were it not for the public’s support and diligence,” said Board Chairman Randy Record.

MWD began restricting wholesale deliveries to its 26 member agencies last July to help save water and stretch existing supplies in response to California’s record drought. The state faced its driest year on record in 2013, the hottest year on record in 2014 and the lowest Sierra snowpack ever recorded in 2015.

Thanks to improved hydrologic conditions – though more so in Northern California than in the Southland – Metropolitan’s allocation from the State Water Project (SWP) now stands at 60 percent, more than the last three years combined.  The SWP typically accounts for about a third of Southern California’s water.

Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said the decision to lift the mandatory water restrictions was made possible by this year’s increased rain and snow, especially in Northern California.  Kightlinger said the district plans to store water for the first time in four years as opposed to drawing down on its reserves since 2016 to meet demands. The district anticipates storing in the range of 400,000 acre-feet of water this year. (an acre-foot of water is nearly 326,000 gallons, about the amount used by two typical Southern Californian households per year.)

“We might be able to breathe a little easier since the severity of the drought has eased, but we all need to hold tight to the smart conservation practices we’ve adopted, like planting California Friendly™ landscaping, washing only full loads of laundry, fixing leaks, taking shorter showers and installing water-efficient devices,” Kightlinger said.

In spite of Metropolitan’s water restrictions roll-back the agency’s Board of Directors also voted to maintain Water Supply Alert calling for continued awareness and reinforced conservation throughout the district’s 5,200-square-mile service area.  While the board’s lifting of water restrictions is a welcome reprieve for thirsty Southlanders, Record cautioned Southern Californians to not become complacent about using water wisely.

“Not only will continued conservation be necessary to replenish and maintain our storage reserves, sustaining wise water use remains as essential as ever,” he said. “Our long-term reliability plans revolve around the need to continue lowering demands through water use efficiencies.”

The rescinding of mandatory water restrictions by MWD’s board has happened on the heels of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Executive Order earlier this week where he made permanent certain conservation mandates.  Along with the State Water Resources Control Board the governor also proposed changes to emergency drought rules affecting the state’s retail water agencies allowing them to recommend their own water plans based on local hydrologic conditions.

As for MWD, Kightlinger said, “All of our member agencies met the water-savings targets we set, which is why we are confident that lower water use will continue into the future.”