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The Palmdale Water District (PWD) Board of Directors voted 5-0 Monday to end all emergency drought regulations adopted in the past two years.
PWD staff reported during the board meeting that the district has more water than enough water needed for customers this year, enabling the Board to make the decision to rescind the Emergency Drought Regulations and the voluntary stage of PWD’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan.
“My fellow Board members and I are happy to end the restrictions that have been in place for the last couple of years,” said Board President Don Wilson. “We appreciate our customers who responded to our call for conservation and cut back usage by up to 20%.”
Last month, the Department of Water Resources announced that State Water Contractors, including PWD, would receive 100 percent of requested supply, due to above normal rain and snowfall this past winter and spring. The last time the state issued a 100 percent allocation was in 2006.
PWD will receive 21,300 acre-feet (AF), or 6.7 billion gallons, of water. The annual requirement to meet customer demand is only 20,000 AF.
“With more than enough water to meet our customers’ needs, this year’s ample water supply will allow us to also bank water in the Antelope Valley, meet our water transfer agreements and create new ones for the future, and still store at least 5,000 AF for next year,” said Resource and Analytics Supervisor Claudia Bolanos.
