IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Riverside has announced it’s dropping its lawsuit that challenged the State Water Resources Control Board’s emergency drought regulations.
City officials took that action after the board agreed to allow all water suppliers to establish their own conservation goals based on local needs and anticipated demands, according to a statement released Tuesday.
In Riverside, water is supplied by Riverside Public Utilities.
Riverside filed suit last June, after the board said it expected the city to reduce its water consumption by 23 percent compared with 2013, which the city considered excessive given its past successful conservation efforts.
“In the six years prior to the drought regulations being put in place, we reduced our [water] use by 23 percent,” the statement read. “Looking forward, we plan to conserve 12,000 acre-feet a year, making conservation the centerpiece of our resource plan.”
Riverside officials believe that their lawsuit, coupled with complaints from similar agencies throughout California, helped the board decide last month to change its policy, according to the statement.
