The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is considering drastic measures to deal with the drought.
Proposed changes to the county’s landscaping ordinances could include a ban on lawns at new homes built in unincorporated parts of the county, according to report in The Press-Enterprise.
During a special meeting Monday, the board ordered staff to examine other conservation strategies, including a hotline or smart phone application to report anyone who is wasting water, to spending $100,000 to insure that residents of unincorporated communities use outdoor sprinklers that conserve water.
Board members voted to order all county departments to comply with all state-mandated water-saving measures but otherwise took no action, the report stated.
The drought, now in its fourth year, led Gov. Jerry Brown last month to implement a wide range of mandatory water conservation measures for the first time in California’s history. The goal is a 25 percent cut in water use statewide.