<p>As California enters year four of what scientists are calling the worst<br />
statewide drought in over 1,000 years, water regulators call for harsh,<br />
unprecedented cutbacks that have homeowners and businesses bristling.</p>
<p>As water levels continue to dwindle in lakes and reservoirs across the<br />
state of California, officials have been issuing tighter and tighter<br />
restrictions on how much water citizens can use. According to Governor Jerry Brown, voluntary water<br />
conservation just wasn&#8217;t working. He has said that &#8220;California citizens don&#8217;t<br />
understand just how dire the situation has become.&#8221;</p>
<p>The state&#8217;s snowpack, an area in Northern California that typically<br />
provides about one third of the state&#8217;s fresh water, is all but gone. And<br />
despite the official declaration of a &#8220;drought emergency&#8221; in 2013, the state<br />
has only managed to reduce water usage by 9% since last summer.</p>
<p>Last Tuesday came the approval of a new set of water conservation rules<br />
by the State Water Resources Control Board. The panel voted 5-0 to approve<br />
cutbacks that encourage CA residents to let their lawns die rather than use<br />
water that must be saved. Rules also apply to public property, where watering<br />
is severely limited.</p>
<p>According to the targets approved last Tuesday, CA<br />
cities must reduce water usage by nearly 35% compared to 2013. Several water<br />
departments argue that such a dramatic change will not only drive water bills<br />
through the roof, but will also cause a decline in property value. Estimates<br />
show that water departments could lose as much as $1 billion if they follow the new cutbacks.</p>
<p>The drought is particularly hard on California&#8217;s farmers, who are no<br />
longer allowed to divert nearby rivers to water their crops. Water<br />
deliveries from reservoir systems to farms have also been cut.Meanwhile, San Diego is especially annoyed with the cutbacks considering the city has spent over $3 billion in preparation for extended dry spells.</p>
<p>Officials expect a dramatic reduction in water usage by the month of<br />
June and plan to penalize any person or business failing to meet the new targets, but the jury is still out on what the penalty will be.<br />
Governor Brown has made it clear that he is willing to support legislation that<br />
will boost fines to $10,000.</p>
<p>The main issue here is that the Water Board doesn&#8217;t have the staff to police water usage and water agencies lack the staff to issue tickets. Other agencies have flatly refused to obey the new cutbacks. A ten-hour hearing was held a few days ago in which the public cried out for more realistic targets, but the Water Board refused to budge.</p>