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California to impose first-ever permanent water restrictions on cities and towns
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | July 3, 2024 | Kurtis Alexander

Posted on 07/04/2024 2:00:23 PM PDT by KingofZion

After a decade that saw two major droughts, and with more dry times inevitable, California is imposing permanent water restrictions on cities and towns for the first time in state history.

The powerful State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday approved a long-debated policy that will require hundreds of urban water suppliers to reduce the amount of water they provide over the next 15 years.

As soon as 2027, some suppliers will have to cut back deliveries upwards of 30%, which means finding ways for their customers to use less water — either by imposing restrictions, incentivizing savings by raising rates, or boosting efficiency by encouraging low-flow appliances. Suppliers can do whatever they want to tamp down water use, but if they don’t, they face state fines of up to $10,000 a day.

The mandated permanent reductions, meant to better prepare California for a drier future, are tailored specifically to communities and their individual needs. The cuts are based on a formula that weighs several factors, including the area’s past water consumption, climate and land use.

*** “Conservation is a critical part of California’s strategy to adapt to a hotter, drier future,” said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the state water board, which worked with the Department of Water Resources to develop the regulation. “Our climate has changed. Our uses should match the hydrology that we’re now facing.”

*** Of the suppliers serving at least 10,000 people, the five with the largest required cuts are all in the San Joaquin Valley. These include the city of Atwater, Oildale Mutual Water Co., city of Kingsburg, West Kern Water District and Vaughn Water Co. The cuts for these suppliers range from 45% to 58%, compared with their recent use, by 2040.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfchronicle.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; californication; commiefornia; rationing; water
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To: Wallace T.

The central valley is where the water restrictions are several of the cities are in kern county. The kern River is full. But got to cut water to farmers.


21 posted on 07/04/2024 3:00:29 PM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

in empty milk jugs.
= = =

Not milk jugs. Milk comes from farting cows.

Maybe empty wine bottles. Or re-usable grocery bags.


22 posted on 07/04/2024 3:05:30 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (Running Rampant, and not endorsing nonsense; My pronoun is EXIT. And I am generally full of /S)
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To: KingofZion

“Screw ‘em. They didn’t vote for us.”


23 posted on 07/04/2024 3:15:47 PM PDT by Eleutheria5 (Every Goliath has his David. Child in need of a CGM system. https://gofund.me/6452dbf1. )
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To: KingofZion

California water use:

50% to keep the rivers alive
40% to agriculture
10% to municipalities

And these dumb bastards want to squeeze your lawn brown, while every almond shipped out of state (that’s 95% of total crop) takes 1.1 gallons to grow.


24 posted on 07/04/2024 3:30:09 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Wallace T.; All

“These are likely Republican areas that are subject to the water restrictions. “

No!

Municipalities...LA...SF...etc.

The farms in the big valley (Republican) will get all the water they want this year.


25 posted on 07/04/2024 3:32:47 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: KingofZion
California is imposing permanent water restrictions on cities and towns

And this is what they call "Progress".?

26 posted on 07/04/2024 3:35:41 PM PDT by Falcon4.0
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To: KingofZion

I see Beverly Hills isn’t on the restriction list.


27 posted on 07/04/2024 3:44:25 PM PDT by bgill (.)
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To: KingofZion

It would help if they didn’t throw most of the fresh water into the ocean.


28 posted on 07/04/2024 3:44:45 PM PDT by beethovenfan (The REAL Great Reset will be when Jesus returns. )
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To: butlerweave
There is no water shorage after record storms this winter and reservoirs are 100% full.

Ditto on no water shortage, however the "record" storms happened the year before. Last winter's snowfall was a bit above average..

29 posted on 07/04/2024 3:57:26 PM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: KingofZion

Atwater will become Atdust.


30 posted on 07/04/2024 4:03:38 PM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: Mariner

“California water use:

50% to keep the rivers alive
40% to agriculture
10% to municipalities”

Bears repeating, so nice to see someone with critical thinking skills.

What also should be pointed out is that 50% environmental flow requirement is a state constitutional level law. It’s always a percentage too 50% of flows regardless of how wet the year is. Unless the river system gets down to a critical low flow in CFS then that 50% grows as environmental has priority over all other uses. This is California State law and so many here fail to grasp this critical fact. The only way to change the distribution of water is to get enough votes in both houses of the cali legislator then get the Gov to sign the bill OR get a veto proof majority in both houses. Otherwise it’s all moot half of all water must be left in the rivers per water year period end of discussion until those laws are changed. Agriculture is the largest single consumer four times what the cities use and other than almonds as you point out alfalfa is the huge export crop for cows in other countries and states. It takes 5 FEET of irrigation per crop to grow that grass in the desert. 5 acrefeet per acre should be illegal.


31 posted on 07/04/2024 4:23:55 PM PDT by GenXPolymath
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To: KingofZion

control like electricity, its all about control


32 posted on 07/04/2024 5:14:58 PM PDT by ronnie raygun
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To: KingofZion

They chose these restrictions instead of building desalination plants.


33 posted on 07/04/2024 5:29:17 PM PDT by grundle
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To: FredSchwartz

Tioga Pass is not closed. It’s been open for a few weeks.


34 posted on 07/04/2024 5:29:41 PM PDT by Kathy in OC
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To: KingofZion
https://www.wsj.com/articles/forget-the-missing-rainfall-california-wheres-the-delta-smelt-1430085510

April 26, 2015

To protect smelt from water pumps, government regulators have flushed 1.4 trillion gallons of water into the San Francisco Bay since 2008. That would have been enough to sustain 6.4 million Californians for six years.

Yet a survey of young adult smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta last fall yielded just eight fish, the lowest level since 1967. An annual spring survey by state biologists turned up six smelt in March and one this month. In 2014 the fall-spring counts were 88 and 36.

While the surveys are a sampling and not intended to suggest the full population, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that “the delta smelt is now in danger of extinction.”

35 posted on 07/04/2024 5:31:10 PM PDT by grundle
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To: KingofZion

California government - is there anything it can’t mandate into reality? Sort of like Hollywood Celebrities - is there anything they don’t know?


36 posted on 07/04/2024 5:38:09 PM PDT by Bernard (“God's cruelest punishment is to let you reap what you sow.”)
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To: grundle

There are desalination plants in California, although desalination is
not an efficient and cost effective method of obtaining drinking water.


37 posted on 07/04/2024 5:46:45 PM PDT by Kathy in OC
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To: KingofZion

If only they had more dams.


38 posted on 07/04/2024 7:31:42 PM PDT by Colorado Doug (Now I know how the Indians felt to be sold out for a few beads and trinkets)
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To: Mariner

not to mention marijuana very water intense, Israel makes the best water desalinization plant starting at just 100 million give them illegals some work.


39 posted on 07/04/2024 7:45:02 PM PDT by bdfromlv (Leavenworth hard time)
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To: bdfromlv

Almonds are planted on 1.5 million acres.

Over 2,000 square miles.

Weed isn’t even an afterthought to that.


40 posted on 07/04/2024 8:24:11 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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