This is just one post in the Drought, Weather & Snowpack Category

MWD poised to announce Southern California water-supply alert today

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 10, 2008 at 5:53 am

From Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:

Board members of Southern California’s largest urban water supplier are expected today to adopt a water-supply alert, asking residents and businesses to start cutting back on usage and asking cities to crack down on those who don’t. If not enough water is saved over the next year, rationing could begin by next summer, officials warn.

“All of this is an attempt to stretch out our reserves and make sure we don’t run them into the ground,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of Metropolitan Water District, which serves almost 19 million people in Southern California.

The agency has been tapping those reserves, such as Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet, because of an eight-year drought on the Colorado River and court-ordered restrictions on pumping water from the Sacramento Delta to protect a fish species threatened with extinction.

An MWD committee on Monday endorsed the water-supply alert despite arguments by Randy Record, a San Jacinto Valley farmer, and other board members that the agency should be taking stronger steps. Record said MWD could help member agencies adopt tiered rates that lead to higher bills for those who use more water. “We just continue to do outreach, and I don’t think that’s enough,” he said. “It certainly helps, but this is a new ball game.”

Read the full text of this story from Riverside’s Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

June 10, 2008 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack, Metropolitan Water District

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