KNX 1070 Report: Calif. Officials To Talk Mandatory Water Rationing
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — California regulators are expected to consider statewide mandatory water conservation measures as the worst drought in recent memory grows more severe, according to a KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO report.
The State Water Resources Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve emergency regulations for nine months that would speed the process the board uses to force some rights holders to stop diverting from rivers and streams, The Associated Press reported.
The move comes after the board learned just 31 percent of the state's nearly 10,000 water-rights holders responded to curtailment notices in the past six weeks, according to The Associated Press.
But as KNX 1070's Charles Feldman reports the agency will consider further mandatory measures later this month that could go beyond what some Los Angeles and some other local cities are already doing.
KNX 1070 Report: Calif. To Weigh Mandatory Water Rationing Measures
Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus said officials will consider new regulations governing overwatering, outdoor irrigation, and excess leaks at their next scheduled meeting July 15.
But Marcus acknowledged despite that despite regulators' best efforts, enforcement of water conservation measures in the state has been historically tough.
"We would probably have a fine for an infraction that could be enforced by us, but would also be enforced by local city attorneys and [district attorneys]," she said.
Other state agencies also being asked to come up with drought plans as well, Feldman reported.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
