The Governor’s recent order spares residential lawns from mandatory irrigation cutbacks, but there may still be pain. 

On March 28, Governor Newsom issued an executive order directing the Department of Water Resources to consider adopting by May 25, 2022 regulations that would ban “irrigation of non-functional turf in commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors except as may be required to ensure the health of trees and other perennial non-turf plantings.”  Residential lawns are not covered by this language.  However, other parts of the Order require state and local agencies to implement existing contingency plans and for other plans to be considered for adoption by May 25, 2022.  The LAT article discussing the Order and related information is here.

Meanwhile, the Department of Water Resources has reduced to 5% the portion of contracted amounts of water it will release to member agencies.  DWR’s previous 2022 allocation estimate was 15%.  The next snow pack survey will be on April 1, and a final 2022 allocation percentage will be announced in May or June.

Metropolitan Water District had been expecting a DWR allocation of 8-10% and, on that basis, expected that it could supply Calleguas (which supplies Crestview) all of its demands through 2022.  With the lower 5% allocation, that expectation may be in jeopardy.

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