LOS ANGELES — With recent storms helping alleviate severe drought conditions that were plaguing the state, Southern California’s water wholesaler announced Wednesday, March 15, it is rescinding emergency outdoor watering restrictions it imposed last year.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Board of Directors voted Tuesday to rescind the restrictions, which impacted six local water agencies in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties that are heavily dependent on supplies from the State Water Project. The affected agencies, covering roughly 6 million people, were ordered to restrict outdoor watering to one day per week, beginning June 1, 2022.
The affected agencies from the restriction included: Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Three Valleys Municipal Water District, and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
The agencies represent one-third of the population of Southern California, largely in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and western San Bernardino County.
MWD officials noted that while it is lifting the restriction, the state’s water supply remains limited, so residents should continue to conserve wherever possible. The wholesaler also noted that its member agencies can continue to impose watering restrictions at their discretion.
“We know these last nine months were a sacrifice for the dozens of communities under mandatory restrictions,” MWD board chair Adán Ortega Jr. said in a statement. “On behalf of Metropolitan, I want to express our deep appreciation to all those who helped us stretch our available water supplies to get us through the acute emergency. We needed a 35 percent reduction in use, and through your remarkable efforts, you achieved that. Thank you.”
Restrictions on water use were imposed in the face of dwindling reserves at the state level. At the beginning…
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