Brown orders cuts in water use

Gov. Jerry Brown Wednesday ordered statewide mandatory water restrictions, the first such action in the state’s history.

Brown told the California Water Resources Control Board to implement restrictions designed to cut water use by 25 percent, according to published reports.

The move, which will affect residential, business and agricultural water users, is a response to the state’s historic drought. The regulations are expected to save about 1.5 million acre-feet of water during the next nine months, the reports stated.

Brown made the announcement during a news conference in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which has a record low snowpack. Snow from that mountain chain is a major source of water for the state.

“Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow,” Brown was quoted as saying. “This historic drought demands unprecedented action. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.”

The governor’s order requires larger properties – including cemeteries, campuses and golf courses – to cut their water use significantly, and it bans watering grass on public street medians, the reports stated.

Brown also ordered that 50 million square feet of lawns statewide be replaced with drought-resistant landscaping, and that a rebate program be established to reward consumers who replace old appliances with models designed to save water, the reports stated.