LADWP, Mayor Garcetti announce outdoor watering to be restricted to 2 days a week amid drought
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With Southern California facing a major drought, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday announced that outdoor watering in the city will be restricted to two days a week, down from the current limit of three days.
Speaking at a morning news conference, held at an Eagle Rock home where the resident recently installed drought-friendly landscaping the mayor said the new restrictions will take effect on June 1, the same day that residents across the state will see some changes with their water use.
Garcetti said L.A.'s two-day limit was still more lenient than the one imposed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which has ordered many of its member agencies to restrict outdoor watering to once a week.
"Angelenos have done more," he said. "In the city of Los Angeles we've done more, so we don't have to see a risk of plants dying or going to one day a week because of all the things we are doing collectively and have done.''
Sprinkler watering will be allowed on Monday and Friday at odd-numbered addresses in the city, and even-numbered addresses on Thursday and Sunday, according to the L.A. Department of Water and Power. No watering will be allowed outdoors between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. regardless of the watering day.
Which SoCal areas will be affected by new outdoor watering restrictions?
Watering with sprinklers will continue to be restricted to 8 minutes per station, while sprinklers that use water-conserving nozzles are limited to 15 minutes.
The DWP now "strongly recommends" the use of pool coverings to decrease evaporation, and washing of vehicles at car wash facilities.
For the first time in its history, the MWD is mandating that restrictions be put in place for parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
Garcetti said his city's the more-lenient restriction was due to the water conservation efforts that Angelenos have already demonstrated.
Before Tuesday's announcement, officials had said there were two options on the table for L.A. The first was water agencies implementing volume metric limitations on resident's water. The second option would have allowed the LADWP to demand that customers limit their outdoor water to one day a week.
State water agencies, meanwhile, are expected to hold a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss the drought crisis.
January through March of this year were the driest months on record in California, dating back more than 100 years. The state's 58 counties are all under a drought emergency.
State leaders say it's time to rethink our water usage, saying simple actions such as taking shorter showers and swapping out landscaping devices that use less water can go a long way.
