Gov. Brown OKs permanent restrictions on water use

The drought may be over, but California residents should prepare themselves for new and more permanent restrictions on water use.|
TARYN LUNA AND ALEXEI KOSEFF
SACRAMENTO BEE

SACRAMENTO - The drought may be over, but California residents should prepare themselves for new and more permanent restrictions on water use.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a pair of bills Thursday to set permanent overall targets for indoor and outdoor water consumption.

Assembly Bill 1668 by Democratic Assemblywoman Laura Friedman and Senate Bill 606 from Democratic state Sen. Bob Hertzberg give water districts more flexibility than the strict cuts mandated under Brown’s emergency drought order and will eventually allow state regulators to assess thousands of dollars in fines against jurisdictions that do not meet the goals.

The laws set an initial limit for indoor water use of 55 gallons per-person per-day in 2022, dropping to 50 gallons per person by 2030. Just how consumers will be required to meet the goals remains unknown.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor