SACRAMENTO—California Governor Jerry Brown has made the state’s first-ever executive order mandating the reduction of water use.
The order is a response to the state’s prolonged and historic four-year drought, one that has brought California to a near-crisis situation.
In the order, Brown demanded the State Water Resources Control impose a 25 percent reduction on California’s water supply agencies, facilities that serve nature’s most precious commodity to 90 percent of state residents.
The agencies in question are now faced with the responsibility of placing restrictions upon water use and monitoring the compliance of residents and business owners in respecting the restrictions.
The details of these measures have been left in the hands of the water agencies. During a news conference Brown said, “This will be somewhat of a burden, it’s going to be very difficult. People will say, ‘What about the farmers?’ Farmers will say, ‘What about the people who water their lawns?’”
“People should realize we are in a new era,” he added. “The idea of your nice little green lawn getting watered every day, those days are past.”
