Southern California officials declare emergency drought regulations


Southern California officials announced they will be implementing an emergency water shortage regulation that will affect 6 million people in the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The unprecedented Tuesday decision came after California recorded its "most severe drought in its 126-year record" last summer, intensified by climate change, reports CNN.
To combat the water shortage, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board voted on a plan to conserve water and strictly limit "non-essential water use."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The restriction is expected to take effect June 1, and will limit outdoor watering to only one day per week for businesses and residents. Any water suppliers unwilling to comply and exceed their monthly water limits could be fined.
"We're working together to solve what is a really, really tough and, quite frankly, unprecedented issue. None of us like what we're doing. But we're in a position where we've got to do it," MWD board member Steve Blois told the Times. "The issue is, how are we going to get through this current drought without running out of water to serve the health and safety needs of our population? That has to be our No. 1 priority."
More restrictions may be introduced if the water supply continues to decrease.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Anahi Valenzuela has worked as an editorial assistant at The Week since 2022, where she assists with magazine content and covers the week's best photos. She started her career as a media producer at The Daily Californian and a writer for College Magazine.
-
'Americans deserve immigration officials who are transparent about what they do and why'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Marriage pounds
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggests
Speed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pharaoh's tomb discovered for first time in 100 years
Speed Read This is the first burial chamber of a pharaoh unearthed since Tutankhamun in 1922
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Scientists report optimal method to boil an egg
Speed Read It takes two temperatures of water to achieve and no fancy gadgets
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket
Speed Read The Jeff Bezos-founded space company conducted a mostly successful test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cautious optimism surrounds plans for the world's first nuclear fusion power plant
Talking Point Some in the industry feel that the plant will face many challenges
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Florida has a sinking condo problem
UNDER THE RADAR Scientists are (cautiously) ringing the alarms over dozens of the Sunshine State's high-end high-rises
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials say
Speed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published