California residents are facing a regional drought emergency, which has triggered a statewide environmental crisis.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, made up of 26 local agencies that supply water to about 19 million people, declared a state of emergency Tuesday in a resolution calling for increased conservation efforts.
Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded the state of emergency statewide, authorizing the state water board to ban water waste, such as the use of drinking water to wash sidewalks and driveways.
The declaration grants additional conservation efforts and expands water efficiency programs.
“We need immediate action to preserve and expand the State Water Project’s limited supplies,” board chairwoman Gloria D. Gray said in a statement. “Southern California, on average, gets about one-third of its water from Northern California through the state project.”
That comes as California struggles with record dry conditions and an ongoing strain on state water resources.
In August, Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s primary reservoir, reached its lowest point since the 1970s. If drought conditions continue, the state could provide only enough water “as deemed necessary.”
Conditions have become so extreme in California that even an October deluge in northern parts of the state could not alleviate the drought.
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