California lifts statewide water use restrictions after wet winter

California water inspector checks Bay Area home water useage

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, California's State Water Resources Control Board voted 4-0 to ease statewide water conservation rules enacted by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in April 2015, after a harsh, multi-year drought left California dangerously dry. After a wet winter in Northern California, fueled by a lighter-than-forecast El Niño weather system, the water board decided to let each of California's 411 water districts set their own water conservation levels, subject to approval from the state regulators.

That means communities in the north, where reservoirs are full, will probably ease their water restrictions entirely, as might communities in the populous south fed by those northern reservoirs. Other areas will have to keep restrictions on car washing and lawn watering in place. "The goal here is to back off a little and say, 'Okay, it's not the... emergency it was, and so we're going to move to the Ronald Reagan model of trust but verify,'" Max Gomberg, the water board's climate and conservation manager, told the Los Angeles Times.

Brown's order to reduce statewide water usage by 25 percent was widely deemed a success, and some conservationists worry that letting local water districts "self-certify" will roll back hard-won gains. State regulators hope some of the water savings will endure due to changed habits and landscaping, noting that the drought isn't over. California made permanent some rules, like a ban on washing down sidewalks and driveways. Agricultural irrigation — California's largest consumer of water — isn't affected by the change in rules, since agricultural water use is covered by different regulations.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.