Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom called on Californians to reduce their personal water use in order to combat a drought in the state.
On Thursday, Newsom signed an executive order calling “on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from their 2020 levels.” Included in the measure to save water are irrigating outdoor landscapes in a more efficient way, running washing machines and dishwashers only when they are full, finding and fixing leaky faucets and other leaks, and taking shorter showers, among other points.
“The State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) shall track and report monthly on the State’s progress toward achieving a 15-percent reduction in statewide urban water use as compared to 2020 use,” it added.
Newsom pointed to climate change as the chief issue for the water resources in the state. “The realities of climate change are nowhere more apparent than in the increasingly frequent and severe drought challenges we face in the West and their devastating impacts on our communities, businesses and ecosystems,” said Governor Newsom, per the state’s website.
“The entire state is in a drought today, and to meet this urgent challenge we must all pull together and do our part to reduce water use as California continues to build a more climate resilient water system to safeguard the future of our state,” he added. “We’re proud of the tremendous strides made to use water more efficiently and reduce water waste, but we can all find opportunities this summer to keep more water in reserve as this drought could stretch into next year and beyond.”
The governor’s website explained that state authorities estimated “an additional 15 percent voluntary reduction by urban water users from 2020 levels could save as much as 850,000 acre-feet of water over the next year for future use, or enough to supply more than 1.7 million households for a year.”- READ MORE
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