The action by the giant water wholesaler, which
provides water to 18 million people across Southern
California, is a first step in dealing with new reductions in
water supply and record dry conditions. "People will feel this," said
MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger. "We really want to see if people
are willing to conserve without rationing." Kightlinger said that if the dry weather continues into
this winter, local agencies would have to consider mandatory rationing,
an extreme measure not seen since the severe drought of the early 1990s. The
Los Angeles Times and Capitol Public Radio contributed to this story.
Thursday, 11 October 2007 08:15
Water Rationing Warned for Southern California
Many agriculture customers in Southern
California will soon have a lot less water to use on their crops. A federal judge this summer
issued a ruling that is expected to slash water deliveries from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by about a third, part of an effort to save
the endangered Delta smelt. The court is limiting how much water the state can
deliver to Southern California because the
tiny smelt are getting trapped in the state’s water pumps. As a result,
the Metropolitian Water District of Southern California is planning on cutting deliveries
by water supplies to its agricultural customers in Southern
California by 30 percent, effective January 1.
