Los Angeles residents and businesses are being urged to conserve water after winter snow supply fell well below normal.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) made the request after finding that the mountain snowpack – which provides substantial drinking water in the state – was 41% of normal levels in the beginning of this month.
The LADWP measures snow accumulation (which accumulates during the winter and melts in the spring and summer) from February to April along the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Snow melts in the Los Angeles Aqueduct, a conduit that draws runoff from the mountains into the city.
Over the past two weeks, the snowpack has fallen further from its already low level – to just 22% of normal amounts.
These types of falls are likely to be repeated in the years to come, as the climate crisis leads to increased heat levels throughout the year.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, permanent reductions in snow accumulation would directly jeopardize the availability of drinking water in California. Snowmelt provides “up to a third” of the state’s water supply.
In an effort to save water, LADWP has so far this year increased rebates for residential water-efficient appliances and commercial building systems this year. Appliances on the list include everything from washing machines to rain barrels to high-efficiency toilets.
The agency is also alerting residents to other water restrictions in the city, including regulations on outdoor watering of gardens and yards.
The water and electric department also offers rebates to people who take their lawns and replace them with durable, drought-resistant landscaping.
California’s water problems are part of a wider water crisis in the western United States, with the region remaining in the grip of a mega-drought that has lasted for years.
