California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
Fort Bragg’s city council just passed an emergency order that would require restaurants to use disposable table settings – utensils, plates and cups. The idea is simple: cutting water usage during the California drought. By using disposable table settings, restaurants won’t have to use as much water to wash dishes.
Although residents of the small lumber town have made significant cuts, their efforts aren’t anywhere close to their 30 percent mandate. They have cut back on showers, watering their grass and washing their cars.
In addition to high-end steak and seafood restaurants using disposable plates, they are only allowed to serve water when asked by the customer. Residents are also prohibited from washing cars and irrigating their outdoor landscaping.
The emergency order comes after the Noyo River’s water levels dropped so low that ocean water began entering the municipal pipes, which ultimately affected drinking water.
“The Noyo is a critical component of our water supply, and it is too salty to use. The flows are so low, it’s off charts,” Fort Bragg’s city manager, Linda Ruffing, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We have to lower our water use to the absolute minimum.”
