About 6 million residents of Southern California will soon be reduced to one-day-a-week watering under sweeping new restrictions driven by severe drought and climate change.
The first-of-its-kind mandatory action from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will take effect June 1 and cover communities from Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties — but not all of them.
The rules will target areas that rely heavily or entirely on the State Water Project, a Northern California water supply that officials say runs the real risk of running dry.
Areas that receive water from the Colorado River and other sources will be spared, at least for now.
According to MWD, all or part of the following cities and communities are dependent on water from the State Water Project and will be affected by the new restrictions:
- Agoura Hills
- Arcadia
- Avocado Heights
- Azusa
- Baldwin Park
- Bassett
- Bradbury
- Calabasas
- Camarillo
- Canoga Park
- Chatsworth
- Chino
- Chino Hills
- City of Industry
- Claremont
- Covina
- Culver City
- Duarte
- El Monte
- Encino
- Fontana
- Granada Hills
- Hacienda Heights
- Irwindale
- La Puente
- La Verne
- Los Angeles
- Mission Hills
- Monrovia
- Montclair
- Moorpark
- Newbury Park
- North Hills
- North Hollywood
- North Whittier
- Northridge
- Oak Park
- Ontario
- Oxnard
- Pacific Palisades
- Pacoima
- Panorama City
- Playa del Rey
- Playa Vista
- Point Mugu NAWC
- Port Hueneme
- Port Hueneme CBC Base
- Porter Ranch
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Reseda
- Rialto
- Rosemead
- San Gabriel
- Sherman Oaks
- Simi Valley
- Somis
- South El Monte
- South Pasadena
- Spy Glass Hill
- Studio City
- Sun Valley
- Sunland
- Sylmar
- Tarzana
- Temple City
- Thousand Oaks
- Tujunga
- Universal City
- Upland
- Valinda
- Valley Village
- Van Nuys
- Venice
- West Covina
- West Hills
- West Hollywood
- Westlake Village
- Whittier
- Winnetka
- Woodland Hills
Map of areas that depend mostly or entirely on the State Water Project.
(Metropolitan Water District of Southern California)
“The reality is, this drought has left us without the water supply we need to meet normal demands in these areas,” MWD general manager Adel Hagekhalil said. “To make sure we have enough water for their basic human health and safety needs, everyone in these communities must immediately and dramatically reduce their water use.”
The affected agencies include: Calleguas Municipal Water District, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Three Valleys Municipal Water District and Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.
It will fall to each member agency to determine how best to implement the restrictions. Some, such as Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, have already spelled out detailed plans for enforcement and patrol; others, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, are still hammering out the details.
The MWD plans to track agencies’ progress and could fine any that don’t cut back enough.
If vast improvements aren’t immediate and apparent, a full outdoor watering ban could happen in the affected communities as soon as September, Hagekhalil said.