2014 Drought

Los Angeles News Group caDrought.com The Drought 2014 | 1

L O S A N G E L E S N E W S G R O U P | A S P O T L I G H T P R E M I U M E D I T I O N

S P E C I A L R E P O R T

DROUGHTYour guide to using less water at home

A CRISIS FOR CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles News GroupcaDrought.com2 | The Drought 2014

Customers are the SolutionTo Drought in CaliforniaThe Cucamonga Valley Water District is committed to ensuring that the families and businesses of this community have the reliable water supply they need to thrive. CVWD customers depend on this precious resource, whether California is experiencing a wet year or a dry year.

The drought is a reminder that protecting water resources is the right thing to do, but we must think beyond the drought and partner with our customers if we are to make meaningful changes to our relationship with water.

California is in the midst of one of its driest periods in recorded history, with more than 80 percent of the state experiencing either extreme or exceptional drought. Reservoirs throughout the state are at or below 50 percent of their historical average; it is difficult to predict when the dry conditions will end.

Advanced planning and hard work have enabled CVWD to meet all customer demands this year. The District has replenished local groundwater basins in wet years; invested in a recycled water program that delivers more than one million gallons each day to landscape and industrial customers; and developed additional storage capacity to protect against drought.

CVWD customers have taken matters into your own hands by taking advantage of water conservation classes and rebates, reducing water use year over year. Your partnership has helped the District achieve a nearly 20 percent reduction in water use over the last seven years, even as the population continues to grow.

Saving water is simple and often requires very little lifestyle change. This is particularly true outside the home, where Southern Californians use 60 percent of their water. The conservation page of the District’s website, cvwdwater.com, offers programs, rebates, and tips for wise water use inside and outside the home. CVWD’s customer service staff is available to provide guidance and answer your questions. They can be reached at (909) 944-6000.

The drought is a serious challenge with impacts felt throughout California. By reminding us of the importance of water and challenging us to work together to change how we use water, it may be the event that ushers our region– and our state–into a more sustainable future. Thank you for being a part of the solution.

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Publisher/President: Ron HasseVP of News & Executive Editor: Michael A. AnastasiSenior Editors: Carolina Garcia, Brian Harr, Don SproulContributing Editor: Harrison SheppardCopy Editors: Jerry Rice, Denise SwiboldDesigner: Steve OhnersorgenWriters: Susan Abram, Dana Bartholomew, Sandra

Barrera, Donna Littlejohn, Mike Reicher, Steve ScauzilloPhotographers: Gene Blevins, Thomas R. Cordova,

Keith Durflinger, Hans Gutknecht, Andy Holzman, Will Lester, Rachel Luna, John McCoy, Dean Musgrove, Brittany Murray, Watchara Phomicinda, Scott Varley

Graphic Artist: Paul Penzella

On the cover: The cracked earth is shown in July near where the Lake Mead Marina once was. GETTY IMAGES

CONTENTS

How the drought affects you ..............................................................................6

Across California, everywhere it’s parched ................................................... 14

Where water comes from ................................................................................. 18

The long-term effects of a prolonged drought .......................................... 34

Visual history of L.A.’s water grab 100 years ago ....................................... 30

Drought-resistant gardens .............................................................................. 44

How much water you use a year ......................................................................36

Homeowners find new ways to save water ..................................................41

Watering restrictions and rebates ..................................................................22

Impacts on businesses ......................................................................................24

Tips for watering your lawn ...............................................................................39

This Special Report is the first of our Spotlight Premium Editions featuring journalism dedicated to focused and expanded coverage of local topics that matter in the lives of our readers. It will help you understand the drought in Southern California and how it will impact your daily life, providing context for the ecological and economic reality the drought brings. We also offer real solutions so you can contribute to meeting the challenges of this crisis.

For ongoing coverage online, we’ve also launched the companion website, CAdrought.com, the state’s single-most comprehensive source of drought news and information.

Californians are resilient, and we’re creative. We must dramatically change the way we live to preserve a sustainable California for future generations.

California’s water crisisR

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Workers on a � oating dock survey the San Gabriel Reservoir in February. The water level when the reservoir is full can rise several hundred feet higher.

WATCHARA PHOMICINDASTAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

By Dana Bartholomew

Cars collect dirt, streets fade to scruff, lawns die for lack of upkeep while trees and gardens wither under a rainless sky. Cities across Southern California turn more brown by the day. And across the once-shiny Golden State, water reservoirs run low, wells bleed dry, farm fi elds lie fallow. Wildfi res rage. Wildlife struggles. Overhead, the watery heavens seem to have snapped their spigots.

Welcome to California Drought 4.0 — the fourth year of record low rain and snow. Where most of the year has been hottest on record. Where the past three years have ushered in the lowest rainfall in 119 years of weather tal-lies. Where a 15-year drought across the West is considered the worst such dry spell since the Middle Ages. And where weather forecasters predict higher-than-normal temperatures through spring. And lower than expected chances of any El Niño rain relief.

The entire state is now in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with more than half suffering “exception-al drought,” the driest level. As a result, scant snow has

caDrought.com

Critical conditionsParched fields, scorched earth — and there’s no relief in sight

What is a drought?There is no precise, universally accepted de� nition of what constitutes a drought, but it is generally seen as a prolonged pe-riod of below-average rainfall that a� ects people, agriculture or the environment.Calilfornia is experi-encing all three. In Los Angeles, for example, the area gets an average 15 inches of rainfall per year, but during the past three years, rainfall has ranged between 5 and 9 inches per year.Nearly the entire state (95.4 percent) now falls into the three worst categories of drought: severe, ex-treme and exceptional, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

— Steve Scauzillo

WHEN IS WATER SHORTAGE A DROUGHT?

CRITICAL » PAGE 10

Workers on a � oating dock survey the San Gabriel Reservoir in February. The water level when the reservoir is full can rise several hundred feet higher.

WATCHARA PHOMICINDASTAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

By Dana Bartholomew

Cars collect dirt, streets fade to scruff, lawns die for lack of upkeep while trees and gardens wither under a rainless sky. Cities across Southern California turn more brown by the day. And across the once-shiny Golden State, water reservoirs run low, wells bleed dry, farm fi elds lie fallow. Wildfi res rage. Wildlife struggles. Overhead, the watery heavens seem to have snapped their spigots.

Welcome to California Drought 4.0 — the fourth year of record low rain and snow. Where most of the year has been hottest on record. Where the past three years have ushered in the lowest rainfall in 119 years of weather tal-lies. Where a 15-year drought across the West is considered the worst such dry spell since the Middle Ages. And where weather forecasters predict higher-than-normal temperatures through spring. And lower than expected chances of any El Niño rain relief.

The entire state is now in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with more than half suffering “exception-al drought,” the driest level. As a result, scant snow has

caDrought.com

Critical conditionsParched fields, scorched earth — and there’s no relief in sight

What is a drought?There is no precise, universally accepted de� nition of what constitutes a drought, but it is generally seen as a prolonged pe-riod of below-average rainfall that a� ects people, agriculture or the environment.Calilfornia is experi-encing all three. In Los Angeles, for example, the area gets an average 15 inches of rainfall per year, but during the past three years, rainfall has ranged between 5 and 9 inches per year.Nearly the entire state (95.4 percent) now falls into the three worst categories of drought: severe, ex-treme and exceptional, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

— Steve Scauzillo

WHEN IS WATER SHORTAGE A DROUGHT?

CRITICAL » PAGE 10

JULY 2011The drought is captured in these two images (here and below) of Enterprise Bridge as it stretches across a section of Lake Oroville, which is about 80 miles north of Sacramento.

AUGUST 2014

GETTY IMAGES

GETTY IMAGESGETTY IMAGESSTAFF FILE PHOTO

Below le� : The Seven Oaks Dam, located across the Santa Ana River near Highland, is seen in January.Below middle: Boaters launch their cra� hundreds of yards away from designated boat ramps at Folsom Lake in August.Main photo: Receding water levels have exposed the pump house at Castaic Lake, just north of Santa Clarita.

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JULY 2011The drought is captured in these two images (here and below) of Enterprise Bridge as it stretches across a section of Lake Oroville, which is about 80 miles north of Sacramento.

AUGUST 2014

GETTY IMAGES

GETTY IMAGESGETTY IMAGESSTAFF FILE PHOTO

Below le� : The Seven Oaks Dam, located across the Santa Ana River near Highland, is seen in January.Below middle: Boaters launch their cra� hundreds of yards away from designated boat ramps at Folsom Lake in August.Main photo: Receding water levels have exposed the pump house at Castaic Lake, just north of Santa Clarita.

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Below: Castaic Lake state water reservoir is located just north of Santa Clarita in August.HANS GUTKNECHTSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

At le� : Houseboats are dwarfed by the steep banks of Lake Oroville in Oroville in August. As the severe drought continues for a fourth straight year, water levels in lakes and reservoirs are reaching historic lows. Lake Orovilleis currently at32 percent of its total 3,537,577acre feet.GETTY IMAGES

stuck to the high Sierra Nevada, the state’s main water source.

Water levels in the state’s three largest res-ervoirs have fallen to less than a third of ca-pacity, while the state reservoir levels have dropped to less than two-thirds the historic average.

Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir which helps quench the thirst of three states, including California, has plunged to a record low, leaving half of its marina on dry land.

Groundwater pumping, only newly regu-lated, now depletes aquifers at an alarming rate. Some wells in the middle of California have run dry. Five percent of irrigated farm-land in the state has been left to wither.

The drought will likely cost farmers$2.2 billion this year, according to a UC Davis study, putting the state’s $45 billion agricul-

ture industry at risk.More than 1,000 wildfi res have blackened

the state, including some rare confl agrations this spring.

The toll on wildlife, besides scorched earth, could also include loss of wetland habitats. Hawks and other birds of prey reproduce less because they don’t have enough to eat. In some areas, even cacti have begun to die.

The toll on people could be more illness be-cause of higher heat, smog, poor water qual-ity and a reported uptick in West Nile virus.

Call to action For a population that has ballooned to

38 million during an exceptionally wet past century, the stubborn drought has been met with stubborn sacrifi ce.

Early this year, Gov. Jerry Brown called a

CRITICAL » FROM PAGE 6

CRITICAL » PAGE 12

“We’re so desperate for rain, we should change the state motto to Fiat Pluvia — show me rain.”— Bill Patzert, climatologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge

SEPTEMBER

2013JUNE

2013MARCH

2013DECEMBER

2012MARCH

2014DECEMBER

2013SEPTEMBER

2014

■ Abnormally dry■ Moderate■ Severe■ Extreme■ Exceptional

JUNE

2014

SEPTEMBER

2013JUNE

2013MARCH

2013DECEMBER

2012MARCH

2014DECEMBER

2013SEPTEMBER

2014


JUNE

2014

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

Above is a look at how California’s drought has worsened and spread in less than two years.THE DROUGHT OVER TIME


Below: Castaic Lake state water reservoir is located just north of Santa Clarita in August.HANS GUTKNECHTSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

At le� : Houseboats are dwarfed by the steep banks of Lake Oroville in Oroville in August. As the severe drought continues for a fourth straight year, water levels in lakes and reservoirs are reaching historic lows. Lake Orovilleis currently at32 percent of its total 3,537,577acre feet.GETTY IMAGES

stuck to the high Sierra Nevada, the state’s main water source.

Water levels in the state’s three largest res-ervoirs have fallen to less than a third of ca-pacity, while the state reservoir levels have dropped to less than two-thirds the historic average.

Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir which helps quench the thirst of three states, including California, has plunged to a record low, leaving half of its marina on dry land.

Groundwater pumping, only newly regu-lated, now depletes aquifers at an alarming rate. Some wells in the middle of California have run dry. Five percent of irrigated farm-land in the state has been left to wither.

The drought will likely cost farmers$2.2 billion this year, according to a UC Davis study, putting the state’s $45 billion agricul-

ture industry at risk.More than 1,000 wildfi res have blackened

the state, including some rare confl agrations this spring.

The toll on wildlife, besides scorched earth, could also include loss of wetland habitats. Hawks and other birds of prey reproduce less because they don’t have enough to eat. In some areas, even cacti have begun to die.

The toll on people could be more illness be-cause of higher heat, smog, poor water qual-ity and a reported uptick in West Nile virus.

Call to action For a population that has ballooned to

38 million during an exceptionally wet past century, the stubborn drought has been met with stubborn sacrifi ce.

Early this year, Gov. Jerry Brown called a

CRITICAL » FROM PAGE 6

CRITICAL » PAGE 12

“We’re so desperate for rain, we should change the state motto to Fiat Pluvia — show me rain.”— Bill Patzert, climatologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge

SEPTEMBER

2013JUNE

2013MARCH

2013DECEMBER

2012MARCH

2014DECEMBER

2013SEPTEMBER

2014


JUNE

2014

SEPTEMBER

2013JUNE

2013MARCH

2013DECEMBER

2012MARCH

2014DECEMBER

2013SEPTEMBER

2014


JUNE

2014

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

Above is a look at how California’s drought has worsened and spread in less than two years.THE DROUGHT OVER TIME


CRITICAL >> FROM PAGE 10

statewide emergency, asking Califor-nians to voluntarily cut a fifth of their water use.

By spring they’d turned down the taps a notch. But in Southern Califor-nia — a statewide leader in water con-servation for decades — water use ac-tually rose to save lawns parched by re-cord heat.

The result: state water regulators im-posed outdoor water restrictions, with fines of up to $500 a day for scofflaws.

Some cities hired water cops or beefed up anti-watering brigades, with residents required to remember when they can water lawns, or face fines.

Water utilities doubled down on their offers of cash for turf. By midsummer overall water use had dropped nearly 8 percent.

Sacramento lawmakers, meanwhile, offered up bills that would regulate the use of groundwater.

They also approved a $7.5 billion wa-ter bond for the November ballot that would focus on rebuilding the state’s reservoirs, clean up polluted aquifers, add high-tech water-saving devices and help wean Southern California off im-ported water.

If the current drought continues, the state must grapple with diminish-ing supplies from the Sacramento Delta and the Colorado River; how to replen-ish groundwater basins; divvy up water supplies between cities and farms; and whether proposals to desalinate the ocean can overcome the high cost and pollution.

With Los Angeles now importing half of its needed water, residents who once sprayed copious water across ver-dant lawns and gardens are coming to grips with such terms as “California friendly landscaping.”

For across the Golden State, brown has now become the new green.

But in Southern California — a statewide leader in water conservation for decades — water use actually rose to save lawns parched by record heat. The result: state water regulators imposed outdoor water restrictions ...

By Ben Baeder

AS BAD as the current drought may seem to Southern Californians suffering with brown lawns and low-flow showerheads, it doesn’t hold water to what the area faced during some

of the worst periods in its history.Scientists who study ancient climates are learning

that California’s past is marked by stifling, soul-crush-ing droughts that lasted 30 years or much longer and brought complex societies to their knees.

By aging old tree stumps in Lake Tahoe, climate re-searcher Susan Lindstrom found a dry period that lasted an estimated 1,300 years until it finally started getting wetter around 4000 B.C.

And, more recently, an extended dry period that be-gan about 1,050 years ago likely helped cause the col-lapse of intricate Southwest American-Indian societies.

The same scientists who study ancient droughts often work with anthropologists and archaeologists who ex-amine how people responded to extremely dry periods.

Researchers think regimes fell as warfare and starva-tion emaciated ancient cities.

Skeletons in the Southwestern United States from pe-riods of drought are marked with higher incidences of injuries from arrow tips and spears, according to an-thropologist Pat Lambert of Utah State University.

“Droughts create two things,” said Douglas Kennett, an archaeologist who has studied how California’s early people responded to climate changes. “An increase in in-terpersonal violence and an increase in social hierar-chy.”

Those who can innovate and respond to the change gain an advantage, which can cause a culture to stratify along economic lines, he said.

For instance, groups that made beads used for cur-rency seemed to fare better than other cultures. So did groups near the coast, who depended on ocean fish for food.

Some societies formed more permanent settlements along the most reliable springs and streams.

“Certain communities dominate others,” Kennett said.Other cultures simply disappeared.By comparison to that scale, the last 150 years of

weather represent some of the most peaceful, reliable periods of rainfall in the region’s history, concluded pa-leoclimatologists B. Lynn Ingram and Frances Mal-amud-Roam, in their recent book “The West Without Water.”

But the authors also concluded that we have drasti-cally underestimated the severity of the West’s weather.

Using their own research and cross-referencing with other scientists and scientific disciplines, they say Cali-fornia’s water supply can turn seemingly on a dime, and

then stay changed for long stretches of time.Scientists call it the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. And

when the ocean is cold, the jet stream change tends to move north, making for a much drier California.

During the 1986-87 rainy season, a warm PDO crossed with warm temporary El Niño conditions, gen-erating an additional 16 inches of rain in Los Angeles on top of what’s normal and delivering legendary ocean swells for surfers.

Around 2000, the PDO flipped, and the weather has since been significantly drier, noted climatologist Bill Patzert at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

GEOLOGIC HISTORY

Past droughts have crushed civilizations

By Dana [email protected] @DN_DanaBart on Twitter

FOR DROUGHT RELIEF, sky-watchers in the southern Golden State had bowed to-ward an equatorial swath of

the Pacific Ocean that promised rain.But the powerful El Niño forecast-

ers had hoped would deliver buck-ets this winter across California has cooled. And with weaker ocean sur-face temperatures to alter the jet stream comes a weaker chance of knocking out the drought that has en-gulfed the state.

“Southern Californians are suffer-ing from El Niño fatigue,” said Bill Patzert, climatologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. “On again, off again, on again, now off again.

“It’s a phantom El Niño.”Through New Year’s and into next

summer, the federal Climate Pre-diction Center forecasts above-nor-mal temperatures for California and across the West. By year’s end, that may mean monsoon thunderstorms across inland deserts and mountains.

The added heat may also mean con-tinued fire danger across a once-lush Southern California.

All of the state is now in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Moni-tor, with more than half suffering “ex-ceptional drought.”

The Golden State has suffered re-cord heat for most of this year. Los Angeles got less rain the past two years than it normally gets in one.

The drought, now in its fourth year, continues a 15-year pattern, with 11 of the past 16 years experiencing below-normal rainfall.

Scant rain and snowfall has de-pleted snow levels, streams, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, water tables and large aquifers from the San Joaquin to the Imperial valleys, with the state water supply at 40 to 50 percent of ca-pacity.

“In general, California would need about 150 percent of average for the rainy season (October to April), in order to significantly reduce the drought … and raise the low water supply in reservoirs and bring soil moisture to near normal levels,” ac-cording to Alex Tardy, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego.

Meteorologists now say if an El Niño arrives this winter, it’s likely to be weak or moderate.

“We’re so desperate for rain, we should change the state motto to Fiat Pluvia — show me rain,” Patzert said.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

Drought-busting rain? Fat chance, meteorologists say

PAUL PENZELLA/LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP

REGIONAL RESERVOIRSThe chart below shows the 14 major reservoirs in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works system (all figures in acre-feet).

Reservoir CapacityCurrent storage

Water available for

release*

San Gabriel 44,440 226 0

Morris 29,370 11,439 3,698

Puddingstone 16,342 5,966 0

Cogswell 10,438 834 0

Big Tujunga 5,025 1,601 519

Pacoima 2,834 922 126

San Dimas 1,548 0 0

Big Dalton 1,080 0 0

Devil’s Gate 909 0 0

Santa Anita 765 55 0

Eaton Wash 652 0 0

Thompson Creek 515 0 0

Live Oak 250 0 0

Puddingstone Diversion 138 0 0

Three major reservoirs in Southern California that store water from Northern California and the Colorado River

Castaic Lake 325,000 122,549 N/A

Pyramid Lake 180,000 168,087 N/A

Diamond Valley Lake 810,000 413,367 N/A

*Minimum pool of water is kept to preserve valves, pumps, etc.

N/A (not applicable)

Note: The county of Los Angeles Department of Public Works has about 4,343 acre-feet of water available for release. Much of that water is being used for groundwater recharge and water supply.

Source: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works/California Department of Water Resources/Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

STAFF FILE PHOTO

The Southland hasn’t seen a good soaking in months. The forecast for a powerful El Niño this year has faded — replaced instead with record-high temperatures.


CRITICAL >> FROM PAGE 10

statewide emergency, asking Califor-nians to voluntarily cut a fifth of their water use.

By spring they’d turned down the taps a notch. But in Southern Califor-nia — a statewide leader in water con-servation for decades — water use ac-tually rose to save lawns parched by re-cord heat.

The result: state water regulators im-posed outdoor water restrictions, with fines of up to $500 a day for scofflaws.

Some cities hired water cops or beefed up anti-watering brigades, with residents required to remember when they can water lawns, or face fines.

Water utilities doubled down on their offers of cash for turf. By midsummer overall water use had dropped nearly 8 percent.

Sacramento lawmakers, meanwhile, offered up bills that would regulate the use of groundwater.

They also approved a $7.5 billion wa-ter bond for the November ballot that would focus on rebuilding the state’s reservoirs, clean up polluted aquifers, add high-tech water-saving devices and help wean Southern California off im-ported water.

If the current drought continues, the state must grapple with diminish-ing supplies from the Sacramento Delta and the Colorado River; how to replen-ish groundwater basins; divvy up water supplies between cities and farms; and whether proposals to desalinate the ocean can overcome the high cost and pollution.

With Los Angeles now importing half of its needed water, residents who once sprayed copious water across ver-dant lawns and gardens are coming to grips with such terms as “California friendly landscaping.”

For across the Golden State, brown has now become the new green.

But in Southern California — a statewide leader in water conservation for decades — water use actually rose to save lawns parched by record heat. The result: state water regulators imposed outdoor water restrictions ...

By Ben Baeder

AS BAD as the current drought may seem to Southern Californians suffering with brown lawns and low-flow showerheads, it doesn’t hold water to what the area faced during some

of the worst periods in its history.Scientists who study ancient climates are learning

that California’s past is marked by stifling, soul-crush-ing droughts that lasted 30 years or much longer and brought complex societies to their knees.

By aging old tree stumps in Lake Tahoe, climate re-searcher Susan Lindstrom found a dry period that lasted an estimated 1,300 years until it finally started getting wetter around 4000 B.C.

And, more recently, an extended dry period that be-gan about 1,050 years ago likely helped cause the col-lapse of intricate Southwest American-Indian societies.

The same scientists who study ancient droughts often work with anthropologists and archaeologists who ex-amine how people responded to extremely dry periods.

Researchers think regimes fell as warfare and starva-tion emaciated ancient cities.

Skeletons in the Southwestern United States from pe-riods of drought are marked with higher incidences of injuries from arrow tips and spears, according to an-thropologist Pat Lambert of Utah State University.

“Droughts create two things,” said Douglas Kennett, an archaeologist who has studied how California’s early people responded to climate changes. “An increase in in-terpersonal violence and an increase in social hierar-chy.”

Those who can innovate and respond to the change gain an advantage, which can cause a culture to stratify along economic lines, he said.

For instance, groups that made beads used for cur-rency seemed to fare better than other cultures. So did groups near the coast, who depended on ocean fish for food.

Some societies formed more permanent settlements along the most reliable springs and streams.

“Certain communities dominate others,” Kennett said.Other cultures simply disappeared.By comparison to that scale, the last 150 years of

weather represent some of the most peaceful, reliable periods of rainfall in the region’s history, concluded pa-leoclimatologists B. Lynn Ingram and Frances Mal-amud-Roam, in their recent book “The West Without Water.”

But the authors also concluded that we have drasti-cally underestimated the severity of the West’s weather.

Using their own research and cross-referencing with other scientists and scientific disciplines, they say Cali-fornia’s water supply can turn seemingly on a dime, and

then stay changed for long stretches of time.Scientists call it the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. And

when the ocean is cold, the jet stream change tends to move north, making for a much drier California.

During the 1986-87 rainy season, a warm PDO crossed with warm temporary El Niño conditions, gen-erating an additional 16 inches of rain in Los Angeles on top of what’s normal and delivering legendary ocean swells for surfers.

Around 2000, the PDO flipped, and the weather has since been significantly drier, noted climatologist Bill Patzert at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

GEOLOGIC HISTORY

Past droughts have crushed civilizations

By Dana [email protected] @DN_DanaBart on Twitter

FOR DROUGHT RELIEF, sky-watchers in the southern Golden State had bowed to-ward an equatorial swath of

the Pacific Ocean that promised rain.But the powerful El Niño forecast-

ers had hoped would deliver buck-ets this winter across California has cooled. And with weaker ocean sur-face temperatures to alter the jet stream comes a weaker chance of knocking out the drought that has en-gulfed the state.

“Southern Californians are suffer-ing from El Niño fatigue,” said Bill Patzert, climatologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. “On again, off again, on again, now off again.

“It’s a phantom El Niño.”Through New Year’s and into next

summer, the federal Climate Pre-diction Center forecasts above-nor-mal temperatures for California and across the West. By year’s end, that may mean monsoon thunderstorms across inland deserts and mountains.

The added heat may also mean con-tinued fire danger across a once-lush Southern California.

All of the state is now in a drought, according to the U.S. Drought Moni-tor, with more than half suffering “ex-ceptional drought.”

The Golden State has suffered re-cord heat for most of this year. Los Angeles got less rain the past two years than it normally gets in one.

The drought, now in its fourth year, continues a 15-year pattern, with 11 of the past 16 years experiencing below-normal rainfall.

Scant rain and snowfall has de-pleted snow levels, streams, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, water tables and large aquifers from the San Joaquin to the Imperial valleys, with the state water supply at 40 to 50 percent of ca-pacity.

“In general, California would need about 150 percent of average for the rainy season (October to April), in order to significantly reduce the drought … and raise the low water supply in reservoirs and bring soil moisture to near normal levels,” ac-cording to Alex Tardy, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego.

Meteorologists now say if an El Niño arrives this winter, it’s likely to be weak or moderate.

“We’re so desperate for rain, we should change the state motto to Fiat Pluvia — show me rain,” Patzert said.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

Drought-busting rain? Fat chance, meteorologists say


REGIONAL RESERVOIRSThe chart below shows the 14 major reservoirs in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works system (all figures in acre-feet).

Reservoir CapacityCurrent storage

Water available for

release*

San Gabriel 44,440 226 0

Morris 29,370 11,439 3,698

Puddingstone 16,342 5,966 0

Cogswell 10,438 834 0

Big Tujunga 5,025 1,601 519

Pacoima 2,834 922 126

San Dimas 1,548 0 0

Big Dalton 1,080 0 0

Devil’s Gate 909 0 0

Santa Anita 765 55 0

Eaton Wash 652 0 0

Thompson Creek 515 0 0

Live Oak 250 0 0

Puddingstone Diversion 138 0 0

Three major reservoirs in Southern California that store water from Northern California and the Colorado River

Castaic Lake 325,000 122,549 N/A

Pyramid Lake 180,000 168,087 N/A

Diamond Valley Lake 810,000 413,367 N/A

*Minimum pool of water is kept to preserve valves, pumps, etc.

N/A (not applicable)

Note: The county of Los Angeles Department of Public Works has about 4,343 acre-feet of water available for release. Much of that water is being used for groundwater recharge and water supply.

Source: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works/California Department of Water Resources/Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

STAFF FILE PHOTO

The Southland hasn’t seen a good soaking in months. The forecast for a powerful El Niño this year has faded — replaced instead with record-high temperatures.

REGIONAL EXPERIENCE

State of thirstDrought playing out di� erently across distinct parts of California

More than 25% of bottled water comes from a municipal water supply, the same place that tap water comes from.Approximately 400 billion gallons of water are used in the United States per day.

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency

DROUGHT FACTS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jorge Vargas, a foreman for Maggiora Brothers Drilling Inc., drills an 800-foot-deep water well at an almond farm in Chowchilla in April.

GE

TT

Y IM

AG

ES

A lone weed grows on an unplanted eld in Augustin Firebaugh, Calif.

By Steve [email protected] >> @stevscaz on Twitter

MOST OF CALIFORNIA is experi-encing a “severe” or “exceptional” drought, a� ecting more than38 million Golden State residents,

according to the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

But as Californians know, the state feels more like three states — southern, central and north-ern — and while there’s a shared response from residents up and down the state, there are also signifi cant di� erences in how the squeeze on water resources a� ects each region.

“There’s no di� erence in how each area is handling it. They are all trying to do the same thing, conserve water. The di� erences lie in each area’s water interest,” explained David Feldman, a professor at UC Irvine in the De-partment of Social Ecology and chair of Plan-ning, Policy and Design.

Feldman, an expert in water resource man-agement, has studied the allocation of water throughout the state. The biggest impact is in Central California, more specifi cally the San Joaquin Valley, with farmers fallowing lands and selling and buying water rights.

“Central California is very dependent on ag-riculture for its economy,” Feldman said. “Their worries revolve around sustaining agriculture.”

As the state enters the fourth straight year of drought, the area has experienced “the greatest absolute reduction in water availability for

GETTY IMAGES

Dry conditions have sparked � re concerns in state parks, including Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Lagunitas, north of San Francisco.

“There’s no difference in how each area is handling it. They are all trying to do the same thing, conserve water. The differences lie in each area’s water interest.”— David Feldman,UC Irvine professor

DROUGHT FACTS U.S. residents use about 100 gallons of water per day. At 50 gallons per day, residential Europeans use about half the water that U.S. residents use.In one year, the average American home uses more than 100,000 gallons of water (indoors and outdoors).More than 713 gallons of water go into the production of onecotton T-shirt.

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

California agriculture ever seen,” according to a July study released by researcher Richard Howitt of UC Davis and funded by the Cal-ifornia Department of Food and Agriculture.

The costs of farms having less surface water are beginning to add up.

Water shortages in the Cen-tral Valley — the state’s bread bas-ket — will add up to 6.6 million acre-feet in surface water. Farms will replace 5 million acre-feet by pumping more water out of the ground, according to the study, leaving a net water shortage of1.6 million acre-feet.

Additional pumping costs come to $454 million. Crop losses will cost the industry $810 million. Losses from livestock and dairy revenues cost will be $203 million in 2014. This adds up to $1.5 bil-lion in direct losses, the study re-ported.

The study concluded that the drought this year will have a$2.2 billion economic impact in

the industry and displace 17,100 jobs.

If the rain stays away this winter and the drought contin-ues into mid-2015 and 2016, the study predicts more over-draft-ing of groundwater, higher pump-ing costs and a price tag on agri-culture of an additional $1 billion per year.

Because the Legislature passed a measure to add controls to groundwater pumping, it could cause farmers to use more water now, before anticipated regula-tions take e� ect, he said.

Already, water sales and wa-ter marketing are growing. The UC Davis report found “extremely high prices” being paid for wa-ter in the Central Valley, at least three times higher than water market transactions in the 2009 drought.

Northern California’s urban ar-eas, namely the Bay Area, are less used to droughts than in South-ern California. “And some would argue, that because they are less


REGIONAL EXPERIENCE

State of thirstDrought playing out di� erently across distinct parts of California

More than 25% of bottled water comes from a municipal water supply, the same place that tap water comes from.Approximately 400 billion gallons of water are used in the United States per day.

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency

DROUGHT FACTS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jorge Vargas, a foreman for Maggiora Brothers Drilling Inc., drills an 800-foot-deep water well at an almond farm in Chowchilla in April.

GE

TT

Y IM

AG

ES

A lone weed grows on an unplanted eld in Augustin Firebaugh, Calif.

By Steve [email protected] >> @stevscaz on Twitter

MOST OF CALIFORNIA is experi-encing a “severe” or “exceptional” drought, a� ecting more than38 million Golden State residents,

according to the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

But as Californians know, the state feels more like three states — southern, central and north-ern — and while there’s a shared response from residents up and down the state, there are also signifi cant di� erences in how the squeeze on water resources a� ects each region.

“There’s no di� erence in how each area is handling it. They are all trying to do the same thing, conserve water. The di� erences lie in each area’s water interest,” explained David Feldman, a professor at UC Irvine in the De-partment of Social Ecology and chair of Plan-ning, Policy and Design.

Feldman, an expert in water resource man-agement, has studied the allocation of water throughout the state. The biggest impact is in Central California, more specifi cally the San Joaquin Valley, with farmers fallowing lands and selling and buying water rights.

“Central California is very dependent on ag-riculture for its economy,” Feldman said. “Their worries revolve around sustaining agriculture.”

As the state enters the fourth straight year of drought, the area has experienced “the greatest absolute reduction in water availability for

GETTY IMAGES

Dry conditions have sparked � re concerns in state parks, including Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Lagunitas, north of San Francisco.

“There’s no difference in how each area is handling it. They are all trying to do the same thing, conserve water. The differences lie in each area’s water interest.”— David Feldman,UC Irvine professor

DROUGHT FACTS U.S. residents use about 100 gallons of water per day. At 50 gallons per day, residential Europeans use about half the water that U.S. residents use.In one year, the average American home uses more than 100,000 gallons of water (indoors and outdoors).More than 713 gallons of water go into the production of onecotton T-shirt.

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

California agriculture ever seen,” according to a July study released by researcher Richard Howitt of UC Davis and funded by the Cal-ifornia Department of Food and Agriculture.

The costs of farms having less surface water are beginning to add up.

Water shortages in the Cen-tral Valley — the state’s bread bas-ket — will add up to 6.6 million acre-feet in surface water. Farms will replace 5 million acre-feet by pumping more water out of the ground, according to the study, leaving a net water shortage of1.6 million acre-feet.

Additional pumping costs come to $454 million. Crop losses will cost the industry $810 million. Losses from livestock and dairy revenues cost will be $203 million in 2014. This adds up to $1.5 bil-lion in direct losses, the study re-ported.

The study concluded that the drought this year will have a$2.2 billion economic impact in

the industry and displace 17,100 jobs.

If the rain stays away this winter and the drought contin-ues into mid-2015 and 2016, the study predicts more over-draft-ing of groundwater, higher pump-ing costs and a price tag on agri-culture of an additional $1 billion per year.

Because the Legislature passed a measure to add controls to groundwater pumping, it could cause farmers to use more water now, before anticipated regula-tions take e� ect, he said.

Already, water sales and wa-ter marketing are growing. The UC Davis report found “extremely high prices” being paid for wa-ter in the Central Valley, at least three times higher than water market transactions in the 2009 drought.

Northern California’s urban ar-eas, namely the Bay Area, are less used to droughts than in South-ern California. “And some would argue, that because they are less


used to it, they also don’t have certain measures in place that would manage it better,” Feldman said.

For example, many communities do not keep track of water use because residents, farms and commercial users often don’t have water meters.

In Southern California, the per capita water use has remained the same over the last 30 years, despite increases in popula-tion. The Los Angeles Department of Wa-ter and Power reported its customers used from 139 and 159 gallons per day between 1996 and 2008, about the same amount as in the late 1970s-early 1980s, said Marty Adams, director of water operations at LADWP.

In 1991, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports wa-ter from Northern California and the Col-orado River into Southern California, sold 2.5 million acre-feet or about 6 billion gal-lons to a population of about 14 million. In 2014, under extremely dry conditions, it will sell 2 million acre-feet to many more people — 19 million people — according to Jeff Kightlinger, MWD general manager.

Reductions have come from low-flow shower heads, high-efficiency toilets and, more recently, replacing turf with drought-resistant landscaping.

Some call those measures “low-hang-ing fruit” because they don’t require life-style changes. While Southern Califor-nians have been through the drought drills many times in the last 30 years, this one could be worse.

“We have done a lot in Southern Califor-nia to use less water and conserve. But a lot of what we have done has been relatively easy to do,” Feldman said. “The next steps will have to be a bit more dramatic.”

JAE C. HONG — ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jeff Thengvall leaves after releasing irrigation water for the rice fields in Richvale, Calif., in May.

Above: Volunteers appeal for donations earlier in September during the Porterville Water Challenge in Porterville. Many people started water challenges to help East Porterville area residents whose wells went dry for months.THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER

As of September 2014

Abnormallydry

Moderate Severe Extreme Exceptional

LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUPSource: National Drought Mitigation Center

TOTAL U.S. DROUGHT

Drought conditions

As of September 2014

Abnormallydry

Moderate Severe Extreme Exceptional

LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUPSource: National Drought Mitigation Center

TOTAL U.S. DROUGHT

Drought conditions



By Steve [email protected] @stevscaz on Twitter

WATER IS SIMPLE. It’s made of just two elements — hy-drogen and oxygen. It falls from the sky and it covers

two-thirds of the Earth.Complications arise when trying to get

fresh water from the mountains where it falls as snow, or the rivers where it swishes through the Golden State to 38 million thirsty people.

While it starts as rain or snow, potable water for the state comes from a number of places.

Ninety-five percent of it comes from the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada.

The State Water Project and the fed-eral Central Valley Project deliver this melted snowpack mostly through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a complex estuary where fresh water me-anders next to the salty Pacific Ocean waters. Two-thirds of all residents — in-cluding most farmers — rely on the Delta and the 700-miles of channels, levees and sloughs for life-sustaining, economy-building, crop-producing water.

The melted snowpack supports fish, animals, homes, offices, industrial uses and farmers in a state whose population could grow to 53 million people by 2030.

Additionally, the Colorado River Aqueduct is capable of delivering 1 billion gallons a day to Southern California.

As the region enters the fourth year of a drought, supplies from Northern California have been curtailed to 5 percent. More water is be-ing pumped from the Colorado River. For example, the city of Los An-geles — which built its own aqueduct 100 years ago down Highway 395 from the Owens Valley near Mammoth — is now relying on imported water from the state for 50 percent of its supply. Thirty years ago it im-ported 70 percent from the L.A. Aqueduct — but that has nearly dried up.

Local water runs from local mountains into local wells. Watersheds or highlands that capture fresh water include the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. Rain and snow from here feed underground aquifers in the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena-area, San Gabriel Valley, Central Basin, West Basin, Chino Basin and from the Santa Ana River into the Inland Empire.

The last source of water, what is flushed down toilets, sinks and through washing machines, is being recycled and used for irrigation and replenishing groundwater basins.

The most expensive, but largest, source of potential potable water, the ocean, is a new frontier. Poseidon Water is building the largest de-salination plant in the West in Carlsbad. The entire state is watching the project. If it succeeds, more than a dozen other projects have been proposed around the state to tap the vast ocean and help provide for California’s water future.

WATER SOURCES

Mountain snowpack lacks its punch Less runoff forces agencies to look elsewhere to meet the needs of customers

RICH PEDRONCELLI — ASSOCIATED PRESS

Frank Gehrke, right, chief of snow surveys for the Department of Water Resources, checks the weight of a snowpack sample on a scale held by Joshua Nelson at Echo Summit near Lake Tahoe on April 1.

38% | 47%

325,000

38% | 63%

977,000

12% | 33%

1,000,000

38% | 90%

520,000

93% | 105%

171,000

2,039,000

20% | 46%

2,030,000

39% | 56% 13% | 27%

1,032,000

3,538,000

31% | 48%

2,400,000

22% | 39%

2,448,000

27% | 38%27% | 44%

4,552,000

CALIFORNIA RESERVOIRS Facing a major statewide drought, the water levels in California’s reservoirs are substantially lower than their capacity and their historical averages. Below, the numbers in black represent the total capacity of the state’s reservoirs in acre-feet. The percent of total capacity and percent of historical average are as of September 2014.


Capacity(Total acre-feet)

% of totalcapacity

% of historicalaverage

Historical average mark

Storage level

Total reservoircapacity

Note: 1 acre-foot = 325,853 gallons (enough to supply two families in Southern California for a year)

Source: California State Department of Water Resources

27%27%

1,032,0001,032,000

Exchequer Reservoir

56%

2,030,000

Don PedroReservoir

CastaicLake

90%

MillertonLake

3,538,000 Lake Oroville

977,000

FolsomLake

105%105%105%

PyramidLake

33%33%33%

Pine Flat Reservoir2,400,000

NewMelones

2,448,000TrinityLake

4,552,0004,552,000

ShastaReservoir

46%

2,039,000

46%46%

San Luis Reservoir

NorthernSierra/Trinity

Central Sierra

SouthernSierra

638% 0%

391% 0%

212% 0%

SNOWPACKMeasurements of snow during the height of the drought and during a wet year show dramatic di�erences in the amount of snowpack in the Sierras.

June 9, 2011

(Percent of normalfor this date)

June 9, 2014

Source: California Department of Water ResourcesLOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP














WATER SOURCES




38% | 47%

325,000

38% | 63%

977,000

12% | 33%

1,000,000

38% | 90%

520,000

93% | 105%

171,000

2,039,000

20% | 46%

2,030,000

39% | 56% 13% | 27%

1,032,000

3,538,000

31% | 48%

2,400,000

22% | 39%

2,448,000

27% | 38%27% | 44%

4,552,000




% of totalcapacity



Storage level




27%27%

1,032,0001,032,000

Exchequer Reservoir

56%

2,030,000

Don PedroReservoir

CastaicLake

90%

MillertonLake


977,000

FolsomLake

105%105%105%

PyramidLake

33%33%33%


NewMelones


4,552,0004,552,000

ShastaReservoir

46%

2,039,000

46%46%

San Luis Reservoir


Central Sierra

SouthernSierra

638% 0%

391% 0%

212% 0%


June 9, 2011


June 9, 2014















WATER SOURCES




38% | 47%

325,000

38% | 63%

977,000

12% | 33%

1,000,000

38% | 90%

520,000

93% | 105%

171,000

2,039,000

20% | 46%

2,030,000

39% | 56% 13% | 27%

1,032,000

3,538,000

31% | 48%

2,400,000

22% | 39%

2,448,000

27% | 38%27% | 44%

4,552,000




% of totalcapacity



Storage level




27%27%

1,032,0001,032,000

Exchequer Reservoir

56%

2,030,000

Don PedroReservoir

CastaicLake

90%

MillertonLake


977,000

FolsomLake

105%105%105%

PyramidLake

33%33%33%


NewMelones


4,552,0004,552,000

ShastaReservoir

46%

2,039,000

46%46%

San Luis Reservoir


Central Sierra

SouthernSierra

638% 0%

391% 0%

212% 0%


June 9, 2011


June 9, 2014















WATER SOURCES




38% | 47%

325,000

38% | 63%

977,000

12% | 33%

1,000,000

38% | 90%

520,000

93% | 105%

171,000

2,039,000

20% | 46%

2,030,000

39% | 56% 13% | 27%

1,032,000

3,538,000

31% | 48%

2,400,000

22% | 39%

2,448,000

27% | 38%27% | 44%

4,552,000




% of totalcapacity



Storage level




27%27%

1,032,0001,032,000

Exchequer Reservoir

56%

2,030,000

Don PedroReservoir

CastaicLake

90%

MillertonLake


977,000

FolsomLake

105%105%105%

PyramidLake

33%33%33%


NewMelones


4,552,0004,552,000

ShastaReservoir

46%

2,039,000

46%46%

San Luis Reservoir


Central Sierra

SouthernSierra

638% 0%

391% 0%

212% 0%


June 9, 2011


June 9, 2014



2

1

You get that bill every month, or ev-ery other month, and notice it’s been creeping up. Maybe the rate has in-creased as water agencies pay more to import water, or maybe your usage has climbed. Here are a few key con-cepts to help you understand your bill.

Water volume: Your usage will most likely be measured using an ac-ronym. One common measure is HCF, which stands for “hundred cubic feet.” That’s equal to 748 gallons. Some agencies use MCF, which stands for “mil,” or thousand cubic feet.

Rate “schedule” or “tariff”: This tells you which category of rate you are paying. Each utility, through its board of directors or some other body, approves rates for homes and busi-nesses. These amounts vary based on the cost of water, needed infrastruc-ture upgrades and other factors.

Tiers: Most utilities charge higher water users a higher rate, to encour-age efficiency and conservation. Your bill should break down how much you use before or after certain thresholds. Some utilities have one uniform rate and some use seasonal rates.

Temperature zones: Some wa-ter agencies divide their service ar-eas into zones based on average tem-perature. Customers in hotter areas, which may need more water to keep plants alive, are allowed more water before their higher rate tier kicks in.

Pressure zones: Other agencies di-vide their areas into zones based on elevation. If it costs more to pump wa-ter to a higher elevation, customers in that zone may see a surcharge.

Sources: Los Angeles Office of Public Account-ability and staff research

Understand your water bill That status symbol of Southern California, the swimming pool, may seem now like a politically incorrect extravagance as the state sweats the start of the fourth year of a severe drought. But experts say a properly maintained pool, with safeguards against evaporation, can actually use less water than an irrigated lawn. Here are some tips for pool owners to save water:• Don’t fill too high, to prevent water from splashing over the sides.• In heated pools, keep water temperature lower to reduce evaporation.• Plant shrubs around the yard to shield from winds that cause waves and splash.• Using a pool cover can stop most evapora-tion. An uncovered pool can see its water level drop by 55 inches over a year through evaporation.• Keep your pool clean to reduce backwash-ing and check the system for leaks.Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; www.letspooltogether.com

TIPS FOR USING YOUR POOL WISELY

This sample bill from the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power includes 1) usage history, 2) Tier rate information.


#

wmwd.com


Service areaWater restrictions Watering days

Other restrictions Rebates

CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; alternate days; banned on Sundays

None Water tracker app

CITY OF BURBANK Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; limited to 3 days/week; 15 minutes

No watering of driveways Turf removal $2 per square foot (residents), $1 for businesses

CALLEGUAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves southeast Ventura County

Voluntary20%

No restrictions None None

CENTRAL BASIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves 24 cities in southeast Los Angeles County as well as unincorporated county areas (227 square miles)

Voluntary No restrictions None High e� ciency clothes washers, toilets, rain barrels, turf removal ($1,000)

CITY OF COMPTON Voluntary No restrictions None Turf removal ($2 per square foot)

EASTERN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves Hemet, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Perris, San Jacinto, Temecula

Voluntary No restrictions None MWD rebate program; turf removal ($2 per square foot); free rain gauges as part of water recycling kit; up to $450 for sprinkler controllers

FOOTHILL MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves seven agencies for La Cańada-Flintridge, portions of Glendale and unincorporated areas of Altadena, Montrose and La Crescenta

Voluntary No restrictions None MWD rebate program; free rain gauges as part of water recycling kit; up to $450 for sprinkler controllers

CITY OF FULLERTON Voluntary No restrictions Prohibits � lling fountains (unless recirculating); wash car with a bucket or hand-held hose with shut-o� nozzle

Turf removal ($2 per square foot)

CITY OF GLENDALE Voluntary Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

10 minutes maximum MWD rebate program

INLAND EMPIRE UTILITIES AGENCY Serves Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland

Voluntary20%

No restrictions None MWD rebate program

LA MIRADA Served by Suburban Water Systems

Voluntary Bans hosing paved surfaces. No watering between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

None MWD rebate program

LAS VIRGENES MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves Agoura, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village as well as unincorportated areas of Agoura, Chatsworth, Lake Manor, Monte Nido and West Hills.

Voluntary No restrictions None None

CITY OF LONG BEACH Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; alternate days

Water provided by request at restaurants; must wash cars w/ shut-o� nozzles

Turf removal ($3.50 per square foot); rebates for toilets, clothes washers, etc.

CITY OF LOS ANGELES (LADWP) Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; alternate days

Must wash cars with shut-o� nozzles; � nes $100-300

Turf removal ($3 per square foot, up to $3,000 per account; high-e� ciency washing machines ($175); see www.socalwatersmart.com

CITY OF PASADENAPasadena Water and Power

Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. except with a hand-held container or hose with a shut-o� nozzle. Three days a week

Bans hosing paved surfaces; no watering in the rain; must wash cars with nozzle

Low-¢ ush toilets, shower heads, nozzles; turf removal ($2 per square foot)



CITY OF PICO RIVERA Voluntary No watering between 10 a.m.-4p.m.; 15 minutes

N/A Rebates for turf removal, rain barrels, soil moisture sensor system, high e� ciency washers and toilets, rotating hose nozzle, weather based irrigation

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Voluntary Speci� ed by water agencies

Bans hosing surfaces; must wash cars with shut-o� nozzles

N/A

CITY OF SAN MARINO Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Bans hosing paved surfaces; must wash cars with shut-o� nozzle


CITY OF SANTA MONICA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Proposed Stage 2 plan: 68 gallons per person per day, with additional amounts for outdoor watering per season

No hosing paved surfaces, must wash vehicles with hand-held bucket or hose Restaurants can’t serve water unless requested. Commercial users: 10 percent reduction

Landscape changes (up to $3,000); high-e� ciency toilets ($100); clothes washers ($85); rain gutter cisterns ($500-$2,000)

THREE VALLEYS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Walnut, Claremont, Pomona, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar

None None N/A Rain barrels ($75); soil moisture monitor sensors ($80); low-¢ ush toilets ($50), turf removal; MWD rebate program

CITY OF TORRANCE Serves most of the city except for west end, which is served by California Water Service Co.

Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m. -5 p.m., limited to three days a week

All leaks must be � xed in 7 days.

Rebates for turf removal ($2 per square foot)

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Bradbury, Monrovia, Duarte, Arcadia, Glendora, Irwindale, Covina, West Covina, Temple City, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Rosemead, Baldwin Park, El Monte, South El Monte, Industry, Bassett, Valinda, La Puente, Hacienda Heights

Voluntary None 20 percent reduction Rain barrels ($75); low-¢ ush toilets, free or $50 rebate; soil sensors ($80); new programs begin April 1; commercial rebates o� ered; turf removal rebates

WEST BASIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes 17 cities and unincorporated areas: Carson, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, West Hollywood

None N/A N/A Provides free rain barrels, high-e� ciency toilets, and weather-based irrigation controllers to help reduce water use along with free landscape

UPPER SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Azusa, Sierra Madre

Voluntary None N/A Rain barrels ($75); low-¢ ush toilets, free or $50 rebate; soil sensors ($80); new programs begin April 1; commercial rebates o� ered; turf removal rebates

WALNUT VALLEY WATER DISTRICT 100,000 residents in six communities

Voluntary N/A 20% reduction by all customers

Rain barrels ($75); soil moisture monitor sensors ($80); low-¢ ush toilets ($50), turf removal MWD rebate program

SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes the cities and communities of San Bernardino, Colton, Loma Linda, Redlands, Rialto, Bloomington, Highland, East Highland, Mentone, Grand Terrace, and Yucaipa

Voluntary None None Provides 25% subsidies for some programs

CITY OF ARCADIA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

$100 � nes Turf removal ($2 per square foot)

CITY OF ALHAMBRA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; alternating days

No re� lling swimming pools, spas

Rebates for e� cient washing machines, toilets

Southern California water agencies

Sources: Metropolitan Water District; www.socalwatersmart.com; as of September 2014 LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP




CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; alternate days; banned on Sundays

None Water tracker app

CITY OF BURBANK Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; limited to 3 days/week; 15 minutes

No watering of driveways Turf removal $2 per square foot (residents), $1 for businesses

CALLEGUAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves southeast Ventura County

Voluntary20%

No restrictions None None

CENTRAL BASIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves 24 cities in southeast Los Angeles County as well as unincorporated county areas (227 square miles)

Voluntary No restrictions None High e� ciency clothes washers, toilets, rain barrels, turf removal ($1,000)

CITY OF COMPTON Voluntary No restrictions None Turf removal ($2 per square foot)

EASTERN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves Hemet, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Perris, San Jacinto, Temecula

Voluntary No restrictions None MWD rebate program; turf removal ($2 per square foot); free rain gauges as part of water recycling kit; up to $450 for sprinkler controllers

FOOTHILL MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves seven agencies for La Cańada-Flintridge, portions of Glendale and unincorporated areas of Altadena, Montrose and La Crescenta

Voluntary No restrictions None MWD rebate program; free rain gauges as part of water recycling kit; up to $450 for sprinkler controllers

CITY OF FULLERTON Voluntary No restrictions Prohibits � lling fountains (unless recirculating); wash car with a bucket or hand-held hose with shut-o� nozzle


CITY OF GLENDALE Voluntary Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

10 minutes maximum MWD rebate program

INLAND EMPIRE UTILITIES AGENCY Serves Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland

Voluntary20%

No restrictions None MWD rebate program

LA MIRADA Served by Suburban Water Systems

Voluntary Bans hosing paved surfaces. No watering between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

None MWD rebate program

LAS VIRGENES MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT Serves Agoura, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village as well as unincorportated areas of Agoura, Chatsworth, Lake Manor, Monte Nido and West Hills

Voluntary No restrictions None None

CITY OF LONG BEACH Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; alternate days

Water provided by request at restaurants; must wash cars w/ shut-o� nozzles

Turf removal ($3.50 per square foot); rebates for toilets, clothes washers, etc.

CITY OF LOS ANGELES (LADWP) Mandatory No watering between 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; alternate days

Must wash cars with shut-o� nozzles; � nes $100-300

Turf removal ($3 per square foot, up to $3,000 per account; high-e� ciency washing machines ($175); see www.socalwatersmart.com

CITY OF PASADENAPasadena Water and Power

Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. except with a hand-held container or hose with a shut-o� nozzle. Three days a week

Bans hosing paved surfaces; no watering in the rain; must wash cars with nozzle

Low-¢ ush toilets, shower heads, nozzles; turf removal ($2 per square foot)



CITY OF PICO RIVERA Voluntary No watering between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; 15 minutes

N/A Rebates for turf removal, rain barrels, soil moisture sensor system, high e� ciency washers and toilets, rotating hose nozzle, weather based irrigation

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Voluntary Speci� ed by water agencies

Bans hosing surfaces; must wash cars with shut-o� nozzles

N/A

CITY OF SAN MARINO Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Bans hosing paved surfaces; must wash cars with shut-o� nozzle


CITY OF SANTA MONICA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Proposed Stage 2 plan: 68 gallons per person per day, with additional amounts for outdoor watering per season

No hosing paved surfaces, must wash vehicles with hand-held bucket or hose Restaurants can’t serve water unless requested. Commercial users: 10 percent reduction

Landscape changes (up to $3,000); high-e� ciency toilets ($100); clothes washers ($85); rain gutter cisterns ($500-$2,000)

THREE VALLEYS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Walnut, Claremont, Pomona, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar

None None N/A Rain barrels ($75); soil moisture monitor sensors ($80); low-¢ ush toilets ($50), turf removal; MWD rebate program

CITY OF TORRANCE Serves most of the city except for west end, which is served by California Water Service Co.

Voluntary No watering between 9 a.m. -5 p.m., limited to three days a week

All leaks must be � xed in 7 days.

Rebates for turf removal ($2 per square foot)

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Alhambra, Monterey Park, Azusa, Sierra Madre

Voluntary None N/A Rain barrels ($75); low-¢ ush toilets, free or $50 rebate; soil sensors ($80); new programs begin April 1; commercial rebates o� ered; turf removal rebates

WEST BASIN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes 17 cities and unincorporated areas: Carson, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, West Hollywood

None N/A N/A Provides free rain barrels, high-e� ciency toilets, and weather-based irrigation controllers to help reduce water use along with free landscape

UPPER SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes Bradbury, Monrovia, Duarte, Arcadia, Glendora, Irwindale, Covina, West Covina, Temple City, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Rosemead, Baldwin Park, El Monte, South El Monte, Industry, Bassett, Valinda, La Puente, Hacienda Heights

Voluntary None 20 percent reduction Rain barrels ($75); low-¢ ush toilets, free or $50 rebate; soil sensors ($80); new programs begin April 1; commercial rebates o� ered; turf removal rebates

WALNUT VALLEY WATER DISTRICT 100,000 residents in six communities

Voluntary N/A 20% reduction by all customers

Rain barrels ($75); soil moisture monitor sensors ($80); low-¢ ush toilets ($50), turf removal MWD rebate program

SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICTServes the cities and communities of San Bernardino, Colton, Loma Linda, Redlands, Rialto, Bloomington, Highland, East Highland, Mentone, Grand Terrace, and Yucaipa

Voluntary None None Provides 25% subsidies for some programs

CITY OF ARCADIA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

$100 � nes Turf removal ($2 per square foot)

CITY OF ALHAMBRA Mandatory No watering between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; alternating days

No re� lling swimming pools, spas

Rebates for e� cient washing machines, toilets

Southern California water agencies

Sources: Metropolitan Water District; www.socalwatersmart.com; as of September 2014 LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP

COPING WITH THE DROUGHT

E� ects are rippling through businessesBusinesses are under the same restrictions as residential usersand they are � nding new ways to conserve water. For example,high-water users such as MillerCoors in Irwindale andAnheuser-Busch in Los Angeles have replaced turf with drought-resistant plants and reduced water use through plastic conveyor belts. Other businesses like cemeteries, golf courses and industrial users have switched to recycled water from potable water.

As homeowners save water and let their lawns die, companies that transform sun-baked brown lawns into lush shades of green are springing up. In San Jose, Shawn Sahbari of Green Canary sprays paint on a dormant lawn, treatment that should last 90 daysand will not wash o� .

Mark Ellefson, owner of Prodigy Plumbing in Long Beach, says � xing running toilets and leaks have become priorities for homeowners.

The Woodland Hills Country Club uses a weather station and computerized irrigation system to keep the 18-hole coursein top shape.

A 10-acre green lawn in front of the MillerCoors brewery in Irwindale was converted into a drought-tolerant landscape. Inside the facility, at le� , the machinery uses plastic instead of metal, reducing the amount of water needed to lubricate the conveyor.

STAFF FILE PHOTOS

COPING WITH THE DROUGHT

E� ects are rippling through businessesBusinesses are under the same restrictions as residential usersand they are � nding new ways to conserve water. For example,high-water users such as MillerCoors in Irwindale andAnheuser-Busch in Los Angeles have replaced turf with drought-resistant plants and reduced water use through plastic conveyor belts. Other businesses like cemeteries, golf courses and industrial users have switched to recycled water from potable water.

As homeowners save water and let their lawns die, companies that transform sun-baked brown lawns into lush shades of green are springing up. In San Jose, Shawn Sahbari of Green Canary sprays paint on a dormant lawn, treatment that should last 90 daysand will not wash o� .

Mark Ellefson, owner of Prodigy Plumbing in Long Beach, says � xing running toilets and leaks have become priorities for homeowners.

The Woodland Hills Country Club uses a weather station and computerized irrigation system to keep the 18-hole coursein top shape.

A 10-acre green lawn in front of the MillerCoors brewery in Irwindale was converted into a drought-tolerant landscape. Inside the facility, at le� , the machinery uses plastic instead of metal, reducing the amount of water needed to lubricate the conveyor.

STAFF FILE PHOTOS


I’m Saving Water!!


Learn how the Water Replenishment District’s“Water Independence Now” (WIN) program is protecting this incredible natural resource, visitWWW.WRD.ORG

One of the most important things we rely on every day is invisible, but it provides 40% of our local water supply. This invisible treasure is groundwater, and it lies in ancient underground aquifers.When properly managed, groundwater makes us drought proof, disaster proof, and self suffi cient. Groundwater makes us independent from costly and less reliable water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River, while also protecting those fragile ecosystems.

Water Replenishment District of Southern California4040 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90712, 562-921-5521, www.wrd.org

GROUNDWATER

Los Angeles News GroupcaDrought.com28 | The Drought 2014PHOTO BY JOHN MCCOY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Sierras, a vital sourceALMOST ALL of the water for

Southern California comes from the Sierra Nevadas and it is delivered

via a complex system of estuaries. Water also comes from the Colorado River and from the watersheds in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. A century ago, when a thirsty Los Angeles was poised for growth, water chief William Mulhol-land masterminded the city’s greatest engineering feat, a 233-mile aqueduct from the High Sierra to the San Fer-nando Valley. “There it is,” he pro-claimed as the waters gushed down the cascade on Nov. 5, 1913. “Take it!” The L.A. Aqueduct, grandfather of an Aqueduct Empire across a semiarid Golden State, signi� ed a ruthless, but successful quest for water.

Los Angeles News Group caDrought.com The Drought 2014 | 29 PHOTO BY JOHN MCCOY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Sierras, a vital sourceALMOST ALL of the water for

Southern California comes from the Sierra Nevadas and it is delivered

via a complex system of estuaries. Water also comes from the Colorado River and from the watersheds in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. A century ago, when a thirsty Los Angeles was poised for growth, water chief William Mulhol-land masterminded the city’s greatest engineering feat, a 233-mile aqueduct from the High Sierra to the San Fer-nando Valley. “There it is,” he pro-claimed as the waters gushed down the cascade on Nov. 5, 1913. “Take it!” The L.A. Aqueduct, grandfather of an Aqueduct Empire across a semiarid Golden State, signi� ed a ruthless, but successful quest for water.






By Steve [email protected]@stevscaz on Twitter

AFTER A SWEATY DAY out-doors, you’re only halfway through an evening shower with shampoo stinging

your eyes when it hits you: You’ve just about used up your water ra-tion for the day. And you still have to wa-ter your petunias and wash your dirty socks.

What to do?Though it may

sound exaggerated, California is inching closer to a reality just like that in the not-too-distant future if the drought continues at its scorching pace.

In fact, many ex-perts predict some de-gree of water ration-ing could start by next summer, unless Cal-ifornia residents and businesses decrease their water usage by 20 percent or more — or it rains buckets this winter.

What is likely to be the fourth straight year of drought has arrived and it is real. The num-bers don’t lie. The state is in a drought and nearly all of it is in a severe or extreme drought, accord-ing to the U.S. Drought Monitor, an arm of the National Drought Mit-

igation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration.

After three-plus years of record low rain and snowfall, the Golden State is now closer to a pale beige. And the water shortage is already hurting agriculture and threatening to kill our economy — not just our precious lawns.

Rationing isn’t that far away. In Santa Cruz, each single-family household has been allotted 249 gal-lons per day. Multi-family units of two to four, 174 daily gallons; with 149 gallons for multifamily units of fi ve to 20 and 124 gal-lons for multi-family properties containing 20 or more units.

Fines begin at $25 a month and go up from there, depend-ing on how much you exceed.

“I can’t wait for the day when I can rat on my neighbor,” said Bill Patzert, climatol-ogist with Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Labo-

ratory, who foresees continuation of the drought for the rest of this rain year and possibly longer.

Patzert complains that the State Water Resources Control Board’s Stage One restrictions on outdoor watering are ine� ective.

Though many cities, such as Los Angeles and Pasadena, restrict out-door watering to three days per week, most cities rely on the honor system to enforce the new rules.

In fact, Los Angeles had only one water cop for 500 square miles at the end of July and was hurrying to hire two more before the end of the year. ¢ ¢

Yes, fi nes of up to $500 per day can be assessed to people who wa-ter too much, hose down driveways or don’t use a nozzle when washing their cars, but that rarely happens.

While a study in May revealed Southern California hadn’t saved water but, in fact, had used 8 per-cent more water than last year, folks

CONSUMER OUTLOOK

Huge problem, real impactsRationing likely as rain-poor California faces a water supply-and-demand crisis

PHOTO BY DAVID CRANE — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Turf Terminators eliminates a high-water-use yard in Sylmar and replaces it with a drought-tolerant yard. The company is paid through rebates from water agencies, which are paying homeowners up to $3 a square foot to replace their lawns.

at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California say strong evi-dence exists that the Southland is in conservation mode.

In January, only about 99,000 square feet of lawn was being re-placed with drought-friendly plants.

As of late July, MWD reported 2.5 million square feet of turf be-ing removed. The pull comes from a $60 million conservation budget fi lled with fi nancial incentives for homeowners to take out lawns and also buy water-e¥ cient appliances, said Debra Man, MWD assistant gen-

eral manager.The wholesale agency’s demand

for water has dropped 15 percent this year as compared to the last critically dry year in 2007, she said.

The drop in demand was accom-plished during one of the hottest years on record, one in which tem-peratures have risen 6.7 degrees in Southern California so far.

“Yeah, I think this is a big indica-tor that conservation has been em-braced in Southern California,” Man said.

The National Drought Mitigation

Center says it is hard to break the “hydro-illogical cycle,” which whirls around from drought to awareness to concern to panic to rain and fi nally, to apathy.

Getting people to recognize the severity of a drought and do some-thing about it is tough. People are ac-customed to hearing about droughts during the past and they believe a big rainstorm will come to wash it all away.

But MWD says people are respond-ing to 30-second TV ads and 60-sec-

IMPACTS » PAGE 38

The Los Angeles area gets 15 inches of rainfall per year on average. The past three years, between July 1 and June 30, saw much less:2011-2012: 8.68 inches2012-2013: 5.86 inches2013-2014: 6.08 inchesSource: National Weather Service

RECENT RAINFALL



AFTER A SWEATY DAY out-doors, you’re only halfway through an evening shower with shampoo stinging

your eyes when it hits you: You’ve just about used up your water ra-tion for the day. And you still have to wa-ter your petunias and wash your dirty socks.

What to do?Though it may

sound exaggerated, California is inching closer to a reality just like that in the not-too-distant future if the drought continues at its scorching pace.

In fact, many ex-perts predict some de-gree of water ration-ing could start by next summer, unless Cal-ifornia residents and businesses decrease their water usage by 20 percent or more — or it rains buckets this winter.

What is likely to be the fourth straight year of drought has arrived and it is real. The num-bers don’t lie. The state is in a drought and nearly all of it is in a severe or extreme drought, accord-ing to the U.S. Drought Monitor, an arm of the National Drought Mit-

igation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration.

After three-plus years of record low rain and snowfall, the Golden State is now closer to a pale beige. And the water shortage is already hurting agriculture and threatening to kill our economy — not just our precious lawns.

Rationing isn’t that far away. In Santa Cruz, each single-family household has been allotted 249 gal-lons per day. Multi-family units of two to four, 174 daily gallons; with 149 gallons for multifamily units of fi ve to 20 and 124 gal-lons for multi-family properties containing 20 or more units.

Fines begin at $25 a month and go up from there, depend-ing on how much you exceed.

“I can’t wait for the day when I can rat on my neighbor,” said Bill Patzert, climatol-ogist with Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Labo-

ratory, who foresees continuation of the drought for the rest of this rain year and possibly longer.

Patzert complains that the State Water Resources Control Board’s Stage One restrictions on outdoor watering are ine� ective.

Though many cities, such as Los Angeles and Pasadena, restrict out-door watering to three days per week, most cities rely on the honor system to enforce the new rules.

In fact, Los Angeles had only one water cop for 500 square miles at the end of July and was hurrying to hire two more before the end of the year. ¢ ¢

Yes, fi nes of up to $500 per day can be assessed to people who wa-ter too much, hose down driveways or don’t use a nozzle when washing their cars, but that rarely happens.

While a study in May revealed Southern California hadn’t saved water but, in fact, had used 8 per-cent more water than last year, folks

CONSUMER OUTLOOK

Huge problem, real impactsRationing likely as rain-poor California faces a water supply-and-demand crisis

PHOTO BY DAVID CRANE — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Turf Terminators eliminates a high-water-use yard in Sylmar and replaces it with a drought-tolerant yard. The company is paid through rebates from water agencies, which are paying homeowners up to $3 a square foot to replace their lawns.

at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California say strong evi-dence exists that the Southland is in conservation mode.

In January, only about 99,000 square feet of lawn was being re-placed with drought-friendly plants.

As of late July, MWD reported 2.5 million square feet of turf be-ing removed. The pull comes from a $60 million conservation budget fi lled with fi nancial incentives for homeowners to take out lawns and also buy water-e¥ cient appliances, said Debra Man, MWD assistant gen-

eral manager.The wholesale agency’s demand

for water has dropped 15 percent this year as compared to the last critically dry year in 2007, she said.

The drop in demand was accom-plished during one of the hottest years on record, one in which tem-peratures have risen 6.7 degrees in Southern California so far.

“Yeah, I think this is a big indica-tor that conservation has been em-braced in Southern California,” Man said.

The National Drought Mitigation

Center says it is hard to break the “hydro-illogical cycle,” which whirls around from drought to awareness to concern to panic to rain and fi nally, to apathy.

Getting people to recognize the severity of a drought and do some-thing about it is tough. People are ac-customed to hearing about droughts during the past and they believe a big rainstorm will come to wash it all away.

But MWD says people are respond-ing to 30-second TV ads and 60-sec-

IMPACTS » PAGE 38

The Los Angeles area gets 15 inches of rainfall per year on average. The past three years, between July 1 and June 30, saw much less:2011-2012: 8.68 inches2012-2013: 5.86 inches2013-2014: 6.08 inchesSource: National Weather Service

RECENT RAINFALL

SHOWER

23,000 – 36,000GALLONS

TOILET

4,600 – 7,300GALLONS

FAUCET

2,400GALLONS

WASHING MACHINE

5,400 – 18,000GALLONS

DISHWASHER

1,500 – 4,000GALLONS

FAUCET

12,800GALLONS

• Pre-1994 toilets use 3.5 gallons to 7 gallons per �ush. Newer high-e�ciency toilets use 1.28 gallons per �ush or less.

• Taking a bath requires up to 70 gallons of water. A �ve-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.

• The average residential water leak wastes 10,000 gallons per year. Tip: Place about six drops of food coloring in your toilet tank and return in a half-hour. If you see the dye in the toilet bowl, then you have a leak between your tank and bowl.

• Every dishwasher load uses about 15 gallons.

• Tip: Replace kitchen faucet aerator with a low-�ow model.

• One load of laundry uses 20 to 50 gallons.

Bathroom

Laundry Room

KITCHEN

How much water does your home use every year?A UCLA study found that in Los Angeles, outdoor water use accounts for 54 percent and indoor use accounts for 46 percent of single-family home water consumption.

LAWN

89,000 – 115,000GALLONS

POOL

14,000 – 16,000GALLONS TO FILL

(Double that amount in a year to keep it lled if no measures are taken against evaporation.)

In January, only about 99,000 square feet of lawn in Southern California was being replaced with drought-friendly plants. As of late July, the Metropolitan Water District reported 2.5 million square feet of lawn being removed.

Examples of drought-resistant trees and plants

California native shrubs

• California Redbud

• Cleveland Sage

• Ceanothus ‘Concha’

• Co�ee Berry

California native trees

• Coast Live Oak

• Western Sycamore

California native perennials and annuals

• California Poppy

• Deer Grass

• Island Alum Root

California native succulents

• Chalk Dudleya

Fruit trees

California’s drought has been hard on fruit trees, o�en resulting in lower yields and a degraded quality of produce. Depending on the type of tree, they can require a lot of water. But their bene�ts are many, including providing food for people and habitat for wildlife.

Homeowners should:

• Practice deep, slow and infrequent watering

• Mulch around fruit trees 1 foot from the base of the trunk

• Minimize fertilizer applications

• Thin fruit to produce healthier and tastier fruit

• Prune trees to remove excess foliage

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;ConSol/California Homebuilding Foundation; Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; LANG research; bewaterwise.com; foodforward.org

Note: Over the years, California has tightened its standards, so the usage rates depicted here can vary depending on the age of appliances.

• Pool covers can reduce almost all water loss from evaporation.

OUTDOOR LANDSCAPING



SHOWER

23,000 – 36,000GALLONS

TOILET

4,600 – 7,300GALLONS

FAUCET

2,400GALLONS

WASHING MACHINE

5,400 – 18,000GALLONS

DISHWASHER

1,500 – 4,000GALLONS

FAUCET

12,800GALLONS

• Pre-1994 toilets use 3.5 gallons to 7 gallons per �ush. Newer high-e�ciency toilets use 1.28 gallons per �ush or less.

• Taking a bath requires up to 70 gallons of water. A �ve-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.

• The average residential water leak wastes 10,000 gallons per year. Tip: Place about six drops of food coloring in your toilet tank and return in a half-hour. If you see the dye in the toilet bowl, then you have a leak between your tank and bowl.

• Every dishwasher load uses about 15 gallons.

• Tip: Replace kitchen faucet aerator with a low-�ow model.

• One load of laundry uses 20 to 50 gallons.

Bathroom

Laundry Room

KITCHEN

How much water does your home use every year?A UCLA study found that in Los Angeles, outdoor water use accounts for 54 percent and indoor use accounts for 46 percent of single-family home water consumption.

LAWN

89,000 – 115,000GALLONS

POOL

14,000 – 16,000GALLONS TO FILL

(Double that amount in a year to keep it lled if no measures are taken against evaporation.)

In January, only about 99,000 square feet of lawn in Southern California was being replaced with drought-friendly plants. As of late July, the Metropolitan Water District reported 2.5 million square feet of lawn being removed.

Examples of drought-resistant trees and plants

California native shrubs

• California Redbud

• Cleveland Sage

• Ceanothus ‘Concha’

• Co�ee Berry

California native trees

• Coast Live Oak

• Western Sycamore

California native perennials and annuals

• California Poppy

• Deer Grass

• Island Alum Root

California native succulents

• Chalk Dudleya

Fruit trees

California’s drought has been hard on fruit trees, o�en resulting in lower yields and a degraded quality of produce. Depending on the type of tree, they can require a lot of water. But their bene�ts are many, including providing food for people and habitat for wildlife.

Homeowners should:

• Practice deep, slow and infrequent watering

• Mulch around fruit trees 1 foot from the base of the trunk

• Minimize fertilizer applications

• Thin fruit to produce healthier and tastier fruit

• Prune trees to remove excess foliage

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;ConSol/California Homebuilding Foundation; Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; LANG research; bewaterwise.com; foodforward.org

Note: Over the years, California has tightened its standards, so the usage rates depicted here can vary depending on the age of appliances.

• Pool covers can reduce almost all water loss from evaporation.

OUTDOOR LANDSCAPING




ond radio spots featuring people using less water and giving hugs to a walking California figure. The spot ends with the tagline: “Show Califor-nia the love she deserves.”

Total hits on the MWD’s bewaterwise.com website rose from 9,000 earlier this year to 50,000 by July, said Bob Muir, a spokesman for the agency.

Adan Ortega, a water consultant and former administrator with MWD, notes that Southern California residents have reduced their per-capita water consumption during the past 20 years.

Consumption has dropped from 200 gallons to 120 gallons per person per day. This was achieved through the installation of water-efficient toi-lets, washing machines, dishwashers and shower heads.

He says in comparison, Northern Californians use 180 gallons per per-son per day.

How is this drought different?Fact: Droughts are common in Southern California. Recently, they’ve

occurred from 1987 to 1992 and from 1999 to 2004. One of the most se-vere droughts took place in the 1970s, ending in 1978, Patzert said.

A drought is defined when rainfall totals fall substantially below the stated average during a season, which runs from July 1 to June 30, ac-cording to the National Weather Service.

The Los Angeles area gets 15 inches of rainfall per year on average. In the 2011-2012 season, the area received 8.68 inches; 2012-2013: 5.86

inches; 2013-2014: 6.08 inches. If above-average rainfall does not happen this fall and winter, a fourth straight drought year will be in the books.

Which begs the question, if droughts are normal, why is this latest one different?

A drought in 2014 is more troubling than one in the late 1970s because the state’s population has grown so much, from 20 million in 1970 to more than 38 million today.

At the same time, farming and other industries that have heavy water usage have grown as well since the 1970s.

Agriculture uses 75 percent of the state’s water, Patzert said. Newer crops such as almonds and exports of rice to China are using

more of the state’s water.Vineyards have been added to Santa Barbara, San Diego and San

Luis Obispo counties, all requiring large amounts of water in areas very drought-prone.

Likewise, the entire Silicon Valley did not exist in the late 1970s. Mak-ing computer chips and electronics takes water, lots of it.

“For the same rain today you don’t get the same result,” Patzert said. “Now, you have to figure the other large issue: The human factor.”

IMPACTS >> FROM PAGE 35

A Porter Ranch homeowner took advantage of LADWP’s cash-for-grass rebate by redoing her front yard. The grass is gone and today her landscape requires much less water.

PHOTOS BY DEAN MUSGROVE — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cacti and succulents dominate the Woodland Hills home of Judee Kindel, who has included rock and whimsical art elements in her landscaping.

(which takes fi ve to seven years). As for citrus trees, soil is a key factor

when fi guring a watering plan.“It’s really hard to say, it depends on

your soil condition,” said Wendy Akiyama of Sunfl ower Farms. “There isn’t really a set pattern for it. The main thing is to make sure the entire root ball is watered, not just the shallow roots.”

Well-established trees can go for a cou-ple weeks without watering, but again it depends on variables such as soil.

But be careful, it’s also possible (and quite common) to kill these trees with too much water. And signs of drought stress — wilting leaves, dropping fruit and citrus curl, according to the website Food For-ward — can also be signs of over watering.

Get into the habit of checking soil mois-ture before watering by digging about 6 inches below the soil around the tree to see if any is dry to the touch and in need of watering.

Deciduous trees bearing stone fruits — apples, peaches, pears and plums — re-quire less water than evergreen citrus trees as they are dormant in winter, she said.

“In the winter, when there are no leaves on the tree, they take very little water, if any,” she said. But if there’s no rain, it might still be a good idea to water a couple times a month, she said.

Rethinking your lawnSouth Bay landscape designer David

Latimer said well-established lawns also will fare better. Some hot-zone species, like Saint Augustine or Bermuda, do better

than others“I have a lawn that’s pretty much bul-

letproof,” Latimer said, adding he spends about 20 minutes watering it once every two weeks. “It’s a 50-year-old lawn and I don’t give it much love. But it stays pretty green.”

And e� orts are ongoing, he said, to de-velop even stronger, deeper-rooted grass hybrids that can survive drought spells.

Still, his take on California lawns: Why bother?

“If it wasn’t a lawn that my mom had forever, I’d get rid of it and put in some Mediterranean plants and succulents,” he said. “I just can’t see giving water to turf.”

Latimer also suggested embracing dan-delions.

“A lot of people hate dandelions and we spend all this money getting rid of them; it’s a billion-dollar industry,” he said. “I say be more content with what comes up in your lawn. Let the stu� that wants to be there be there. Why fi ght nature?”

Done with the lawn altogether?The city of Los Angeles o� ers rebates —

recently increased to $3 per square foot — to remove still-surviving lawns. Rebates also are available on the purchase of re-placement plants that are drought tolerant. It’s best to go with California natives, said Latimer.

“If you go out to Point Vicente (on the Palos Verdes Peninsula), the blu� s are cov-ered with our native plants and they’re very beautiful,” he said. “They’re going to be able to take the droughts and they’re a wonderful, viable alternative to lawns.”

Learn from nature, be creative and have some fun with it, said Wendy Akiyama, who helps homeowners grow beyond their lawns. “Go out to the desert, look at the mountains,” she said. “Take pictures, see how it’s all laid out.”

Want to go even more low-maintenance and water-free?

The Akiyamas said the newer, more re-alistic synthetic lawns are a fast-grow-ing segment of their landscape contracting business.

“It’s not (the old) astroturf,” Ron Aki-yama said. “It’s unbelievable how good this stu� is.”

Sure, it’s fake. But hey. That’s so L.A.

Watering grass for short periods more frequently, especially in the early morning, is better than a long soak once a week, experts say.

PHOTO BY ROBYN BECK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

David Puac, right, and George Navoretti install drip irrigation and a drought-tolerant landscape at a home in the San Fernando Valley.

“If you go out to Point Vicente (on the Palos Verdes Peninsula), the bluffs are covered with our native plants and they’re very beautiful. They’re going to be able to take the droughts and they’re a wonderful, viable alternative to lawns.”David Latimer,South Bay landscape designer

IN THE YARD

Let the lawn fade awayBy Donna [email protected]@donnalittlejohn on Twitter

THESE are tough times for lawns and those who love them.

Mired in what is now a four-year drought, many of us fi nd

ourselves either juggling designated “wa-tering” days — while casting a wary eye for the water police who now patrol L.A.’s neighborhoods — or wincing as we watch our once-green yards fade to brown.

What’s a homeowner to do?Transitioning to a drought-resistant

landscape to replace thirsty turf has be-come a popular option. So has using syn-thetic grass. But what if you love your lawn? And some of your other beloved garden plants and trees? Are there sur-vival tools to help it eke through this pro-longed dry spell?

Ron Akiyama, who owns Sunfl ower Farms in Gardena with his wife, Wendy, a landscape designer, says it’s doable with “some judicious watering.”

Most important, he said, is to install timers on any watering system you use — and think of going drip or soaker irri-gation rather than traditional shooting-spray sprinklers.

And remember mulch. Putting a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch on your fl ower beds reduces evaporation and protects roots from the heat. Don’t over-prune and don’t overuse fertilizers. If water is very limited, opt for watering your fruit and landscape trees before watering the lawn.

For lawns, Akiyama said watering for short periods more frequently — early mornings are best — beats a long soak once a week.

“The duration of putting water on the lawn is not as important as the fre-quency,” he said.

Citrus trees take lots of deep water-ing, especially before they’re established

One way to use less tap water is to replace it with rain water (assuming it ever rains again).If you install a minimum 50-gallon barrel at your house, and collect runo� from your rain gutters, you could qualify for a $75 rebate. Some people use the rainwater for gardening, either through a hose or by � lling a water-ing can from a spigot. Plants prefer rainwater because it is “so� er” than tap water and free of chlorine, � uoride and other chemicals.Just don’t forget to a install mosquito screen. Check socalwatersmart.com for information on rebates and instal-lation.— Mike Reicher

WHAT IS A RAIN BARREL?


ond radio spots featuring people using less water and giving hugs to a walking California figure. The spot ends with the tagline: “Show Califor-nia the love she deserves.”

Total hits on the MWD’s bewaterwise.com website rose from 9,000 earlier this year to 50,000 by July, said Bob Muir, a spokesman for the agency.

Adan Ortega, a water consultant and former administrator with MWD, notes that Southern California residents have reduced their per-capita water consumption during the past 20 years.

Consumption has dropped from 200 gallons to 120 gallons per person per day. This was achieved through the installation of water-efficient toi-lets, washing machines, dishwashers and shower heads.

He says in comparison, Northern Californians use 180 gallons per per-son per day.

How is this drought different?Fact: Droughts are common in Southern California. Recently, they’ve

occurred from 1987 to 1992 and from 1999 to 2004. One of the most se-vere droughts took place in the 1970s, ending in 1978, Patzert said.

A drought is defined when rainfall totals fall substantially below the stated average during a season, which runs from July 1 to June 30, ac-cording to the National Weather Service.

The Los Angeles area gets 15 inches of rainfall per year on average. In the 2011-2012 season, the area received 8.68 inches; 2012-2013: 5.86

inches; 2013-2014: 6.08 inches. If above-average rainfall does not happen this fall and winter, a fourth straight drought year will be in the books.

Which begs the question, if droughts are normal, why is this latest one different?

A drought in 2014 is more troubling than one in the late 1970s because the state’s population has grown so much, from 20 million in 1970 to more than 38 million today.

At the same time, farming and other industries that have heavy water usage have grown as well since the 1970s.

Agriculture uses 75 percent of the state’s water, Patzert said. Newer crops such as almonds and exports of rice to China are using

more of the state’s water.Vineyards have been added to Santa Barbara, San Diego and San

Luis Obispo counties, all requiring large amounts of water in areas very drought-prone.

Likewise, the entire Silicon Valley did not exist in the late 1970s. Mak-ing computer chips and electronics takes water, lots of it.

“For the same rain today you don’t get the same result,” Patzert said. “Now, you have to figure the other large issue: The human factor.”

IMPACTS >> FROM PAGE 35

A Porter Ranch homeowner took advantage of LADWP’s cash-for-grass rebate by redoing her front yard. The grass is gone and today her landscape requires much less water.

PHOTOS BY DEAN MUSGROVE — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cacti and succulents dominate the Woodland Hills home of Judee Kindel, who has included rock and whimsical art elements in her landscaping.






























IN THE YARD













































IN THE YARD















Stories by Sandra [email protected] >> @SandraBarrera18 on Twitter

CONSERVING WATER wasn’t the only reason Joshua Frank and his wife, Chelsea Mosher, converted their tiny yard and parkway to California coastal and chaparral native plants.

As surfers, they wanted to curb runoff and create a habitat for local wildlife in their downtown Long Beach neighborhood. Their 1923 California bungalow sat empty for a few years un-til the 30-something couple — he’s managing editor at the online political journal CounterPunch, she’s an artist who teaches pho-tography at California State University, Long Beach — moved in

JOSHUA FRANK AND CHELSEA MOSHER

Long Beach: Native landscapes

WHAT STARTED as a vegetable patch and some fruit trees in Rishi

Kumar’s backyard is today a model of sustainable living that he calls The Growing Home.

In fact, it is how the 25-year-old Diamond Bar resident makes his living. His home-based business teaches people how to “re-think, re-imagine and re-generate the suburban landscape” by example. Almost every square inch of his fam-ily’s hillside property in this tract community is used for growing food, which could po-tentially result in excessive wa-ter use.

But Kumar has improved the quality and moisture reten-tion properties of the otherwise hard, compact clay soil.

“If you grow on this, you’re going to have a water problem,” he says. “It’s basically like ce-ment. Water can’t infiltrate it, roots can’t go very deep, which

means they’re going to dry out and the plants are going to die. This is the main problem on a hillside.”

Replenishing the soil with wood chip mulch and horse manure (acquired for free from local tree trimming compa-nies and stables), terracing the slope (to slow water and sink it) and digging flat-bottom ditches — called swales — filled with boulders or tree branches (to capture runoff from the roof and sloping driveway) have transformed the area from lawn and patio to a lush and thriving urban farmland.

He also reuses water, giv-ing more than one purpose to it. The term is “graywater.” An outdoor sink used to rinse dirt from vegetables also drains over a bed of tomatoes. The rest of his landscape is irri-gated by a drip system.

“What I always tell people is this: if you’re just growing a landscape, don’t use any water,

but if you’re growing food, it’s OK to use water,” he says. “Just grow it in a way that uses less water.”

RISHI KUMAR

Diamond Bar: Sensible gardening

PHOTOS BY BRITTANY MURRAY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Joshua Frank and his wife, Chelsea Mosher, here with their dog Arlo, converted their front yard, below, to drought-tolerant plants.

SOCAL LIVING

Sipping, not sacrificing, in the ’burbsSome Southern Californians are serving as models for fellow homeowners who are looking for creative ways to reduce water usage without cramping their lifestyles.

PHOTOS BY KEITH DURFLINGER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Rishi Kumar shows off his drought-friendly yard at what he calls The Growing Home.

A sign shows the importance of water.

and began tackling the ne-glected grounds.

With volunteers from Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens and a cash-back incentive from the city’s Lawn-to-Garden Turf Replacement Program, they ripped out truckloads of grass and gravel, replenished the sandy soil and put in drought-tolerant landscap-ing.

“This is the dormant season for native so our garden doesn’t look as showy,” Mosher says. Frank chuckles, saying “It’s definitely better in the spring — if we get any rain.”

To compensate for dry spells, they hand water their landscape of pink flowered currants, Califor-nia mountain lilacs, Pa-cific mist, seaside daisy and more to keep it thriv-ing without going above the Tier 1 usage level on their bill.

“It is a shift to switch from looking at palm trees, bougainvillea and birds of paradise,” Mosher says. “Because anything can grow in Southern Cal-ifornia, it starts to seem like there is no regional landscape. With this, I can appreciate it.”

To receive an Ocean Friendly Garden designation, the property must meet certain criteria in a number of areas including irrigation, mulch and plants.






























IN THE YARD






























RISHI KUMAR




SOCAL LIVING



























RISHI KUMAR




SOCAL LIVING











WHEN Jim Heimler, principal at James Heimler, Archi-tect, Inc. moved

to his 1946 canyon home in Woodland Hills 27 years ago, he was already a champion of sustainable living.

Chalk it up to his 1960s Lau-rel Canyon upbringing. Back then, not a tree was pruned without a vote. He went on to practice green design and started up a citywide recy-cling center in Santa Monica in the mid- to late-1970s. And over the years, he’s greened his home one fi x at a time.

One such fi x was going from a conventional water heater to a tankless system that “costs maybe three times as much but also lasts three times as long,” he says. The tankless unit he installed more than a dozen years ago saves water by heat-ing it in a fl ash.

“It used to be people spent 3 to 5 minutes with the faucet running, waiting for the wa-ter to heat up,” he says. “Here, we can get hot water in under a minute.”

To make it even more e� -cient, the unit is connected to an electric pump, on a timer, so there’s always a steady supply of hot water circulating from low-fl ow faucet to shower head via a looping pipe whenever he needs it. That feature alone eliminates the need to clear the pipes when going from hot water to cold.

This month he’s tackling the landscape irrigation. Several trees on all sides of his home have died from lack of water, leaving his yard sun-scorched and dry. He’s tried hand water-ing but it put his usage in Tier 2 of his bill. “My hand water-ing really blew it,” he says. “It turns out I was way overwa-tering.”

Before the fall planting sea-son begins, Heimler will have changed out all the sprinkler

heads with water-saving equiv-alents. “You do what’s easy fi rst,” he says, adding the new irrigation system “will add more lines and still reduce my water usage by half so we’ll be less than we were.”

JIM HEIMLER

Woodland Hills: Sustainable by design

PHOTOS BY ANDY HOLZMAN — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Jim Heimler shows o� his kitchen faucet. He decreased the pressure in order to reduce water use.

“It used to be people spent 3 to 5 minutes with the faucet running, waiting for the water to heat up. Here,we can get hot waterinunder a minute.”

Heimler keeps reminder notes of Los Angeles County watering regulations inside his irrigation control box.

Tankless water heater and circulating pump.

















RISHI KUMAR




SOCAL LIVING











WHEN Jim Heimler, principal at James Heimler, Archi-tect, Inc. moved

to his 1946 canyon home in Woodland Hills 27 years ago, he was already a champion of sustainable living.

Chalk it up to his 1960s Lau-rel Canyon upbringing. Back then, not a tree was pruned without a vote. He went on to practice green design and started up a citywide recy-cling center in Santa Monica in the mid- to late-1970s. And over the years, he’s greened his home one fi x at a time.

One such fi x was going from a conventional water heater to a tankless system that “costs maybe three times as much but also lasts three times as long,” he says. The tankless unit he installed more than a dozen years ago saves water by heat-ing it in a fl ash.

“It used to be people spent 3 to 5 minutes with the faucet running, waiting for the wa-ter to heat up,” he says. “Here, we can get hot water in under a minute.”

To make it even more e� -cient, the unit is connected to an electric pump, on a timer, so there’s always a steady supply of hot water circulating from low-fl ow faucet to shower head via a looping pipe whenever he needs it. That feature alone eliminates the need to clear the pipes when going from hot water to cold.

This month he’s tackling the landscape irrigation. Several trees on all sides of his home have died from lack of water, leaving his yard sun-scorched and dry. He’s tried hand water-ing but it put his usage in Tier 2 of his bill. “My hand water-ing really blew it,” he says. “It turns out I was way overwa-tering.”

Before the fall planting sea-son begins, Heimler will have changed out all the sprinkler

heads with water-saving equiv-alents. “You do what’s easy fi rst,” he says, adding the new irrigation system “will add more lines and still reduce my water usage by half so we’ll be less than we were.”

JIM HEIMLER

Woodland Hills: Sustainable by design

PHOTOS BY ANDY HOLZMAN — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Jim Heimler shows o� his kitchen faucet. He decreased the pressure in order to reduce water use.

“It used to be people spent 3 to 5 minutes with the faucet running, waiting for the water to heat up. Here,we can get hot waterinunder a minute.”

Heimler keeps reminder notes of Los Angeles County watering regulations inside his irrigation control box.

Tankless water heater and circulating pump.


Parry’s agave, seen here at The Huntington, is a slow-growing plant native to Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

Astrophytum ornatum, or Bishop’s Cap, reaches more than 6 feet in height. This one was at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

This desert willow was growing at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, where all of the plants are native to Southern California.

Flowers blossom on a desert willow at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The plant is a member of the bignonia family.

• Cal State Northridge Botanical Garden18111 Nordho� St., Northridge; 818-677-3496; www.csun.edu/botanicgarden

• Castaic Lake Water Agency’s Conservatory Garden and Learning Center27234 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita; 661-297-1600; www.clwa.org

• Chino Valley Water District, Water Conservation Campus4594 San Bernardino St., Montclair; 909-626-2711; www.cbwcd.org/145/Water-Conservation-Center-Campus

• Conejo Valley Botanical GardenDover and Hendrix avenues, Thousand Oaks; 805-494-7630; www.conejogarden.org

• Descanso Gardens — Los Angeles Botanical Garden1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge; 818-949-4200; www.descansogardens.org

• Huntington Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; 626-405-2100; www.huntington.org

• Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; 626-821-3222;www.arboretum.org

• Maloof Discovery Garden5131 Carnelian St., Rancho Cucamonga; 909-980-0412;www.maloo� oundation.org

• Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden1236 N. Peck Ave., Manhattan Beach; 310-546-1354;www.manhattanbeachbotanicalgarden.org

Drought-resistant plants on display Suggestions from Patrice Hanlon, The Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek; and Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Sunset Magazine:Hydrozone: “For newbies, you go to the nursery and you see attractive groupings of plants, but you take them home and they don’t always have the same water needs,” Hanlon says. “With hydrozoning, you group plants together that have the same water requirements. Pay attention to what you’re buying.”Let potted plants tell you what they need: Put trays under pots in summer, and water until the tray is full. Then don’t water again until the tray is empty and the plant has sucked up the water.

Pull back on fertilizer: “Fertilizers will make plants grow quicker, which is great, but then they need more water too,” Brenzel says. “Go for organic amend-ments to the soil.”Things to do right now: • Mulch. Compost. “The more you can build soil up with nutrients, the less water needed,” Hanlon says.• Rethink your irrigation system. Look for leaks. Change from overhead irrigation to drip, if possible.• Change water habits. “If you water ev-ery day for ¦ ve minutes, you’re not help-ing the plant,” Brenzel says. “Infrequent deeper waterings encourage a stronger root system.”

— Sta� research

WATER-WISE GARDENING TIPS

Lepechinia hastata, a member of the mint family, is at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont.

The California Meadow for All Seasons contains a variety of grasses and plants that are drought-tolerant. It’s at Descanso Gardens.

Descanso has several varities of agave plants, including this one near the historic Boddy House.

PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCOY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Round barrel cactus at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

• Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden1500 N. College Ave, Claremont; 909-625-8767; www.rsabg.org

• Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center’s native plant demonstration gardenKing Gillette Ranch, 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas; 805-370-2301;www.nps.gov/samo

• South Coast Botanic Garden26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Peninsula; 310-544-6815;www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org


Parry’s agave, seen here at The Huntington, is a slow-growing plant native to Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

Astrophytum ornatum, or Bishop’s Cap, reaches more than 6 feet in height. This one was at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

This desert willow was growing at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, where all of the plants are native to Southern California.

Flowers blossom on a desert willow at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The plant is a member of the bignonia family.

• Cal State Northridge Botanical Garden18111 Nordho� St., Northridge; 818-677-3496; www.csun.edu/botanicgarden

• Castaic Lake Water Agency’s Conservatory Garden and Learning Center27234 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita; 661-297-1600; www.clwa.org

• Chino Valley Water District, Water Conservation Campus4594 San Bernardino St., Montclair; 909-626-2711; www.cbwcd.org/145/Water-Conservation-Center-Campus

• Conejo Valley Botanical GardenDover and Hendrix avenues, Thousand Oaks; 805-494-7630; www.conejogarden.org

• Descanso Gardens — Los Angeles Botanical Garden1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge; 818-949-4200; www.descansogardens.org

• Huntington Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; 626-405-2100; www.huntington.org

• Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; 626-821-3222;www.arboretum.org

• Maloof Discovery Garden5131 Carnelian St., Rancho Cucamonga; 909-980-0412;www.maloo� oundation.org

• Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden1236 N. Peck Ave., Manhattan Beach; 310-546-1354;www.manhattanbeachbotanicalgarden.org

Drought-resistant plants on display Suggestions from Patrice Hanlon, The Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek; and Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Sunset Magazine:Hydrozone: “For newbies, you go to the nursery and you see attractive groupings of plants, but you take them home and they don’t always have the same water needs,” Hanlon says. “With hydrozoning, you group plants together that have the same water requirements. Pay attention to what you’re buying.”Let potted plants tell you what they need: Put trays under pots in summer, and water until the tray is full. Then don’t water again until the tray is empty and the plant has sucked up the water.

Pull back on fertilizer: “Fertilizers will make plants grow quicker, which is great, but then they need more water too,” Brenzel says. “Go for organic amend-ments to the soil.”Things to do right now: • Mulch. Compost. “The more you can build soil up with nutrients, the less water needed,” Hanlon says.• Rethink your irrigation system. Look for leaks. Change from overhead irrigation to drip, if possible.• Change water habits. “If you water ev-ery day for ¦ ve minutes, you’re not help-ing the plant,” Brenzel says. “Infrequent deeper waterings encourage a stronger root system.”

— Sta� research

WATER-WISE GARDENING TIPS

Lepechinia hastata, a member of the mint family, is at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont.

The California Meadow for All Seasons contains a variety of grasses and plants that are drought-tolerant. It’s at Descanso Gardens.

Descanso has several varities of agave plants, including this one near the historic Boddy House.

PHOTOS BY JOHN MCCOY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Round barrel cactus at the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

• Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden1500 N. College Ave, Claremont; 909-625-8767; www.rsabg.org

• Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center’s native plant demonstration gardenKing Gillette Ranch, 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas; 805-370-2301;www.nps.gov/samo

• South Coast Botanic Garden26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Peninsula; 310-544-6815;www.southcoastbotanicgarden.org


CARLSBAD » Across from a clas-sic Southern California beach 35 miles north of San Diego, hun-dreds of construction workers are assembling what could represent the state’s best hope to beat the drought: the largest ocean desali-nation plant in the Western Hemi-sphere.

The $1 billion project will pro-vide 50 million gallons of drinking water a day for San Diego County when it opens in 2016.

The project could mark a turn-ing point in California’s stop-and-start desalination e� orts over the last few decades. Cost and envi-ronmental reasons have stymied e� orts of this scale in the past.

With the state in severe drought, 15 desalination projects are proposed along the coast from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay.

“Everybody is watching Carls-bad to see what’s going to hap-pen,” said Peter MacLaggan, vice president of Poseidon Water, the Boston fi rm building the plant.

For the plant to succeed, Posei-don will have to deliver high-qual-

ity drinking water at the price promised — and not cause unex-pected impacts to the environment such as fi sh die-o� s.

Desalinated water typically costs about $2,000 an acre-foot. That’s twice the cost of obtain-ing water from building new reser-voirs or recycling wastewater, and about four times the cost of water retained through conservation.

High costs have shut down proj-ects elsewhere. Santa Barbara built a plant for $34 million and kept it open for only four months in 1991. The drought ended and the city shut it down because water from other sources was cheaper.

Some experts say the plants are coming despite the cost.

“In the next 10 years you are probably going to have three big plants built in Southern Califor-nia and another plant or two in Northern California,” said Tom Pankratz, editor of the Water De-salination Report. “The trend is toward more desal. They are the most reasonable insurance pol-icy against a long, protracted drought.”

DESALINATION

The big takeaway: salt

PHOTOS BY SCOTT VARLEY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Workers assemble giant seawater intake pipes for the $1 billion desalination plant in Carlsbad.

The new desalination plant is being built behind the Encina Power Station.

For the plant to succeed,

high-quality drinking water

will have to be delivered

at the price promised

without causing

unexpected impacts to the environment.

By Mike [email protected]@mreicher on Twitter

IT’S ONE THING that Sacramento Republi-cans and Democrats can agree upon: The state

has to act to preserve Califor-nia’s water supply.

This past legislative ses-sion was unusually produc-tive as lawmakers approved a $7.5 billion water bond for the November ballot and created the state’s fi rst plan to regu-late groundwater use. Also, regulators passed mandatory conservation rules that allow fi nes up to $500 per day.

Those stricter measures came after Gov. Jerry Brown called on Californians in Jan-uary to voluntarily conserve 20 percent of water. But by May, the reduction was closer to 5 percent, and the Wa-ter Quality Control Board later voted to force local gov-ernments to patrol for water wasters.

“There are some taking that approach very seriously and being aggressive, but oth-ers are not,” said Andrew Fah-lund, the deputy director of the California Water Founda-tion.

Los Angeles hired three new “water cops” in Au-gust to enforce its conserva-tion laws, which have been on the books for years but were rarely used to issue citations. Residents across the South-land now have to remember when to water their lawns, or face fi nes.

Voters will also be asked to pass the water bond, which focuses on rebuilding reser-voirs, cleaning contaminated aquifers and installing water- saving technology. In South-ern California, it would sup-port projects that bolster the local supply and wean the re-gion o� of imported water.

POLITICS

Common ground in SacramentoAction by lawmakers includes putting water bond on November ballot

LENNOX MCLENDON — ASSOCIATED PRESS


Gov. Jerry Brown, le� , with former Assembly Speaker John Perez in February, � nds himself once again leading a state in the midst of a historic drought — just as he was in 1977, below.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN — GETTY IMAGES

Brown grass is the new green at the state Capitol in Sacramento, where groundskeepers have implemented a reduced watering program and allowed large sections of the lawn die o� .

Keys terms and the role of agencies in understanding the droughtState Water Project: Built mostly in the 1960s, the state’s largest water project brings water from the state’s wet northern region to 25 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland.Central Valley Project: A federal water canal-and-storage system built primarily in the 1940s irrigates about one-third of California’s farmland.Bay-Delta Accord: An agreement signed in 1994 that followed a crippling drought that lasted from 1987 to 1992. Environmen-talists and Northern Californians said farmers and Southern California suburbanites were all but destroying the wetland eco-system between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay. The accord protected wildlife areas while trying to maintain a steady £ ow of water for customers.The All-American Canal System: The federally owned but locally operated canal system routes water from the Colorado River to farms and population centers in the southern edge of the state. It was built in the 1930s.Aquifers: Underground natural formations of rock that store rain and snowmelt and provide water for communities all over the state, including much of the San Gabriel Valley, southeast Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.Los Angeles Aqueduct: A canal completed in 1913 that brought water from the eastern Sierra Nevada to Los Angeles. A second canal was completed in 1970s. Sources: California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bureau of Recla-mation, LANG research

UNDERSTANDING THE DROUGHT

“This year, it really feels scary. Unless we have an incredible February or a miracle March, this looks bad.”— Sue McClurg, a spokeswoman for the Water Education FoundationFeb. 15, 2014

“We are in drought. We have been in drought for a long time and it is large scale. And this is for the entire state.”— Bill Patzert, climatologis, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada FlintridgeDec. 22, 2013

“People are stepping up. It’s not enough yet, but we are heading in the right direction.”— Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board on water conservation e� orts in the state.Sept. 10, 2014


PHOTO BY GENE BLEVINS

With dry conditions, gusty winds can kick up dust, making it treacherous for drivers.

By Susan [email protected]@sabramLA on Twitter

RESPIRATORY illnesses, water quality, and mosquito- and ro-dent-related diseases will worsen across Southern California and

beyond in the next few decades because of climate change, scientists contend.

In fact, California’s deepening drought, which some say is a result of climate change, already has contributed to the in-crease of West Nile virus. There are more infected mosquitos so far this year com-pared to last year, a result of a competi-tion for fewer water resources, which en-courages spread of the illness, according to o� cials.

Additionally, the heart, lungs, diges-tive system and mental health all can be a� ected by climate change such as increased temperatures and extreme

weather events including fl oods, accord-ing to the federal Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention.

“Climate change is arguably the big-gest health threat of this century,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Pub-lic Health, the second largest in the na-tion. “We are already experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, and it is ex-pected that conditions will worsen over time. We have to take action now in or-der to lessen the e� ects of climate change that we will experience here in Los Ange-les County.”

Fielding’s department released two re-port this summer which outline various changes as a result of temperatures rising up to fi ve degrees by 2050, according to UCLA researchers.

Those changes include an increase in heat-related deaths and illnesses, more air pollution that can a� ect those with

asthma, bad water quality as resources shrink, and more insect-related diseases. Some places across the San Fernando Val-ley, for example, may see up to 25 straight days of 95 degree or hotter temperatures and less rain.

Both reports were issued so that county residents and agencies can take action to reduce climate change.

“Responding to this threat requires ac-tion on the part of individuals, commu-nity groups, and local government,” said Angelo Bellomo, director of the Environ-mental Health Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in a statement. “Fortunately, there are practi-cal steps that people can take now to im-prove their health in the short term, and help protect future generations in the long term.”

Both reports can be found on the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s web-site: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh.

HEALTH

Climate change can a� ect wellness


BOTANISTS and earth sci-entists live by this credo: If you want to learn the e� ects of climate on hab-

itat, study the plants because un-like animals, they can’t run away.

The fl ora of the Santa Mon-ica and San Gabriel mountains grow in a biome dominated by scrub chaparral that turns into pine forests in higher eleva-tions, coastal sage scrub near the ocean. In the fl ood plains — these are usually near the base of the mountains ahead of the rivers — alluvial fan sage scrub domi-nates.

Scientists now see a brit-tle, caustic ecosystem bled dry by three-plus years of drought. Some say the dearth of mois-ture is changing their habits, such as when they fl ower, when they pollinate and when they go dormant. This system is being knocked out of whack by years of drought, said Mark Gold, associ-ate director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.

A plant that fl owers too early may never reproduce if the pol-linators are not ready at the right time, Gold said. Plants are temperature driven, mean-ing they can fl ower too soon or out of sequence if it’s too hot or too dry.

“The winters and springs are getting much, much shorter. The drier seasons are getting longer,” Gold said, referring to drought combined with climate change.

Ann Croissant studies the allu-vial fan sage scrub at the Santa Fe Dam. Here, even the succulents are dying.

“We are losing native trees and shrubs in this area,” said Crois-sant, a botanist with expertise in plant physiology and earth sci-ence.

Drought has spurred growth in opportunistic imported grasses, such as mustard. These choke out native fl ora and make rich fuel for wildfi res.

Seasons speeding up? Croissant prefers to call it a lack of seasons. “We’re down to two, wet or dry. And lately, just dry,” she said.

Animals move away in search

of water. And the drought may produce more migratory birds looking for food and water. If the state’s Central Valley doesn’t have enough water or wetlands to sup-port the fall and winter migra-tion, there could be a die o� , said Sandi Matsumoto, senior project director of The Nature Conser-vancy.

Dry lands may increase wild-fi res. Already this year, almost 2,000 acres burned above Glen-dora and Azusa in January, not a typical month for fi res. Fire-fi ghters are bracing for December and January when the Santa Ana winds show up.

And air quality scientists worry that more fi res due to more drought could lead to higher lev-els of winter smog. Unless of course the winter brings rain, which cleanses the air.

ENVIRONMENT

Drought resetting plant, animal life

GETTY IMAGES

Fish and Wildlilfe workers in April released thousands of � ngerling Chinook salmon into the Mare Island Strait in April in Vallejo. Low water levels on the state’s rivers have forced o� cials to truck an estimated 30 million young Chinook salmon to assist � sh with migration.

Terms to understand-ing the drought Acre-foot: A volume measure for water. One acre foot is the amount of water that covers one acre of land one foot deep. It equals 325,851 gal-lons of water .Spreading grounds: Flat, undeveloped areas of porous sand and gravel used for percolating runo� or captured water into underground aquifers. Reclaimed or recycled water: Wastewater that has been treated so that it can be reused for irrigation purposes or for replenishing aquifers.Watershed: A geo-graphical portion of the Earth’s surface from which water drains or runs o� to a single place like a river. Sources: California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bu-reau of Reclamation, LANG research

GLOSSARY

WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAHPER

A � re� ghter battles the Colby Fire above Glendora in January. While � res present a clear danger to life and property in burn zones, “� ne-particle” air pollution from smoke can a� ect the health of people miles away.

“We’re going to have to live with our new reality. Droughts are gonna keep coming. So we might as well change our mindset and even have some fun with what we can do. The key to a beautiful garden is not just the plants you buy, but how you put them together to make them sing.”— Kathleen Norris Brenzel, garden editor at Sunset magazine, Aug. 27, 2014

“We could reduce our water use by 30 percent without breaking a sweat. We’ve got communities up here near Pasadena that look like a rain forest. There’s a lot of fat to cut.”— Bill Patzert, JPL climatologist, Feb., 2014


14

405

101

5

5

110

710

605

210

15

15

215

10

Castaic

Ontario

RanchoCucamonga

Diamond Bar

Anaheim

Lake Forest

Mission Viejo

Laguna Beach

Seal Beach

Irvine

Corona

Orange

Cypress

Silverado

Murrieta

Woodcrest

La Habra

Torrance

ManhattanBeach

Palos VerdesEstates

LakeElsinore

Temecula

HuntingtonBeach

SanBernardino

Acton

HesperiaAngelesNational Forest

Compton

Long Beach

Santa Clarita

PorterRanch

Sylmar

San Pedro

Palmdale

Redlands

Riverside

Santa Ana

Santa Monica Baldwin

Hills

Watts

Venice

WestwoodDowntown

L.A.

Eagle Rock

Sunland-Tujunga

El SerenoHollywood

StudioCity

WoodlandHills

57

91

60

Laguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachMurrieta

TemeculaTemecula

60MorenoValley

74Los Angeles area is getting warmerAverage number of days each year temperatures exceed 95 degrees.

0 5 10 15 20 25 300 5 10 15 20 25 30

2041-2060 projectionCurrent


Woodland HillsWestwood

WattsVeniceSylmar

SunlandStudio CitySan Pedro

Porter RanchHollywoodEl Sereno

Eagle RockDowntown L.A.

Baldwin Hills

Number of days

Temecula

Santa Monica

Santa Clarita

Santa Ana

Riverside

Redlands

Palmdale

Long Beach

Compton

Number of days

Source: UCLA LARC study, 2012 PAUL PENZELLA/LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP

Sylmar

Sunland-TujungaSunland-Tujunga

6.825.5

Santa ClaritaSanta Clarita 57.096.0

Sunland-TujungaSunland-Tujunga 36.073.0

36.078.0

El Sereno 13.041.0

Watts 2.012.0

605

Downtown 6.023.0

Seal Seal Seal

Long Beach 4.017.0

Santa AnaSanta Ana 5.018.0

Woodland36.071.0

Riverside56.0103.0

Temecula3.011.0

Santa Monica

Venice

0.41.2

San Pedro2.05.0

110Hills

0.52.0

66.0110.0

0.10.6

Baldwin

Westwood

1.05.0

HollywoodHollywood

4.018.0

Eagle RockEagle RockEagle RockEagle Rock

13.042.0

Compton2.014.0

Studio14.028.0

PorterPorterRanch

55.0100.0

Current and projected temperature extremes for Los Angeles

Current and projected temperature extremes for Southern California

0 30 60 90 120

2041-2060 projection2041-2060 projection2041-2060 projectionCurrent

Temecula

Santa Monica

Santa Clarita

Santa Ana

Riverside

RedlandsRedlands

Palmdale

Long Beach

Compton

0 30 60 90 120PHOTO BY GENE BLEVINS

With dry conditions, gusty winds can kick up dust, making it treacherous for drivers.

By Susan [email protected]@sabramLA on Twitter

RESPIRATORY illnesses, water quality, and mosquito- and ro-dent-related diseases will worsen across Southern California and

beyond in the next few decades because of climate change, scientists contend.

In fact, California’s deepening drought, which some say is a result of climate change, already has contributed to the in-crease of West Nile virus. There are more infected mosquitos so far this year com-pared to last year, a result of a competi-tion for fewer water resources, which en-courages spread of the illness, according to o� cials.

Additionally, the heart, lungs, diges-tive system and mental health all can be a� ected by climate change such as increased temperatures and extreme

weather events including fl oods, accord-ing to the federal Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention.

“Climate change is arguably the big-gest health threat of this century,” said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Pub-lic Health, the second largest in the na-tion. “We are already experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, and it is ex-pected that conditions will worsen over time. We have to take action now in or-der to lessen the e� ects of climate change that we will experience here in Los Ange-les County.”

Fielding’s department released two re-port this summer which outline various changes as a result of temperatures rising up to fi ve degrees by 2050, according to UCLA researchers.

Those changes include an increase in heat-related deaths and illnesses, more air pollution that can a� ect those with

asthma, bad water quality as resources shrink, and more insect-related diseases. Some places across the San Fernando Val-ley, for example, may see up to 25 straight days of 95 degree or hotter temperatures and less rain.

Both reports were issued so that county residents and agencies can take action to reduce climate change.

“Responding to this threat requires ac-tion on the part of individuals, commu-nity groups, and local government,” said Angelo Bellomo, director of the Environ-mental Health Division of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in a statement. “Fortunately, there are practi-cal steps that people can take now to im-prove their health in the short term, and help protect future generations in the long term.”

Both reports can be found on the L.A. County Department of Public Health’s web-site: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh.

HEALTH

Climate change can a� ect wellness


BOTANISTS and earth sci-entists live by this credo: If you want to learn the e� ects of climate on hab-

itat, study the plants because un-like animals, they can’t run away.

The fl ora of the Santa Mon-ica and San Gabriel mountains grow in a biome dominated by scrub chaparral that turns into pine forests in higher eleva-tions, coastal sage scrub near the ocean. In the fl ood plains — these are usually near the base of the mountains ahead of the rivers — alluvial fan sage scrub domi-nates.

Scientists now see a brit-tle, caustic ecosystem bled dry by three-plus years of drought. Some say the dearth of mois-ture is changing their habits, such as when they fl ower, when they pollinate and when they go dormant. This system is being knocked out of whack by years of drought, said Mark Gold, associ-ate director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.

A plant that fl owers too early may never reproduce if the pol-linators are not ready at the right time, Gold said. Plants are temperature driven, mean-ing they can fl ower too soon or out of sequence if it’s too hot or too dry.

“The winters and springs are getting much, much shorter. The drier seasons are getting longer,” Gold said, referring to drought combined with climate change.

Ann Croissant studies the allu-vial fan sage scrub at the Santa Fe Dam. Here, even the succulents are dying.

“We are losing native trees and shrubs in this area,” said Crois-sant, a botanist with expertise in plant physiology and earth sci-ence.

Drought has spurred growth in opportunistic imported grasses, such as mustard. These choke out native fl ora and make rich fuel for wildfi res.

Seasons speeding up? Croissant prefers to call it a lack of seasons. “We’re down to two, wet or dry. And lately, just dry,” she said.

Animals move away in search

of water. And the drought may produce more migratory birds looking for food and water. If the state’s Central Valley doesn’t have enough water or wetlands to sup-port the fall and winter migra-tion, there could be a die o� , said Sandi Matsumoto, senior project director of The Nature Conser-vancy.

Dry lands may increase wild-fi res. Already this year, almost 2,000 acres burned above Glen-dora and Azusa in January, not a typical month for fi res. Fire-fi ghters are bracing for December and January when the Santa Ana winds show up.

And air quality scientists worry that more fi res due to more drought could lead to higher lev-els of winter smog. Unless of course the winter brings rain, which cleanses the air.

ENVIRONMENT

Drought resetting plant, animal life

GETTY IMAGES

Fish and Wildlilfe workers in April released thousands of � ngerling Chinook salmon into the Mare Island Strait in April in Vallejo. Low water levels on the state’s rivers have forced o� cials to truck an estimated 30 million young Chinook salmon to assist � sh with migration.

Terms to understand-ing the drought Acre-foot: A volume measure for water. One acre foot is the amount of water that covers one acre of land one foot deep. It equals 325,851 gal-lons of water .Spreading grounds: Flat, undeveloped areas of porous sand and gravel used for percolating runo� or captured water into underground aquifers. Reclaimed or recycled water: Wastewater that has been treated so that it can be reused for irrigation purposes or for replenishing aquifers.Watershed: A geo-graphical portion of the Earth’s surface from which water drains or runs o� to a single place like a river. Sources: California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bu-reau of Reclamation, LANG research

GLOSSARY

WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAHPER

A � re� ghter battles the Colby Fire above Glendora in January. While � res present a clear danger to life and property in burn zones, “� ne-particle” air pollution from smoke can a� ect the health of people miles away.

“We’re going to have to live with our new reality. Droughts are gonna keep coming. So we might as well change our mindset and even have some fun with what we can do. The key to a beautiful garden is not just the plants you buy, but how you put them together to make them sing.”— Kathleen Norris Brenzel, garden editor at Sunset magazine, Aug. 27, 2014

“We could reduce our water use by 30 percent without breaking a sweat. We’ve got communities up here near Pasadena that look like a rain forest. There’s a lot of fat to cut.”— Bill Patzert, JPL climatologist, Feb., 2014


14

405

101

5

5

110

710

605

210

15

15

215

10

Castaic

Ontario

RanchoCucamonga

Diamond Bar

Anaheim

Lake Forest

Mission Viejo

Laguna Beach

Seal Beach

Irvine

Corona

Orange

Cypress

Silverado

Murrieta

Woodcrest

La Habra

Torrance

ManhattanBeach

Palos VerdesEstates

LakeElsinore

Temecula

HuntingtonBeach

SanBernardino

Acton

HesperiaAngelesNational Forest

Compton

Long Beach

Santa Clarita

PorterRanch

Sylmar

San Pedro

Palmdale

Redlands

Riverside

Santa Ana

Santa Monica Baldwin

Hills

Watts

Venice

WestwoodDowntown

L.A.

Eagle Rock

Sunland-Tujunga

El SerenoHollywood

StudioCity

WoodlandHills

57

91

60

Laguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachLaguna BeachMurrieta

TemeculaTemecula

60MorenoValley

74Los Angeles area is getting warmerAverage number of days each year temperatures exceed 95 degrees.

0 5 10 15 20 25 300 5 10 15 20 25 30



Woodland HillsWestwood

WattsVeniceSylmar

SunlandStudio CitySan Pedro

Porter RanchHollywoodEl Sereno

Eagle RockDowntown L.A.

Baldwin Hills

Number of days

Temecula

Santa Monica

Santa Clarita

Santa Ana

Riverside

Redlands

Palmdale

Long Beach

Compton

Number of days

Source: UCLA LARC study, 2012 PAUL PENZELLA/LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP

Sylmar

Sunland-TujungaSunland-Tujunga

6.825.5

Santa ClaritaSanta Clarita 57.096.0

Sunland-TujungaSunland-Tujunga 36.073.0

36.078.0

El Sereno 13.041.0

Watts 2.012.0

605

Downtown 6.023.0

Seal Seal Seal

Long Beach 4.017.0

Santa AnaSanta Ana 5.018.0

Woodland36.071.0

Riverside56.0103.0

Temecula3.011.0

Santa Monica

Venice

0.41.2

San Pedro2.05.0

110Hills

0.52.0

66.0110.0

0.10.6

Baldwin

Westwood

1.05.0

HollywoodHollywood

4.018.0

Eagle RockEagle RockEagle RockEagle Rock

13.042.0

Compton2.014.0

Studio14.028.0

PorterPorterRanch

55.0100.0

Current and projected temperature extremes for Los Angeles

Current and projected temperature extremes for Southern California

0 30 60 90 120

2041-2060 projection2041-2060 projection2041-2060 projectionCurrent

Temecula

Santa Monica

Santa Clarita

Santa Ana

Riverside

RedlandsRedlands

Palmdale

Long Beach

Compton

0 30 60 90 120


CARLSBAD » Across from a clas-sic Southern California beach 35 miles north of San Diego, hun-dreds of construction workers are assembling what could represent the state’s best hope to beat the drought: the largest ocean desali-nation plant in the Western Hemi-sphere.

The $1 billion project will pro-vide 50 million gallons of drinking water a day for San Diego County when it opens in 2016.

The project could mark a turn-ing point in California’s stop-and-start desalination e� orts over the last few decades. Cost and envi-ronmental reasons have stymied e� orts of this scale in the past.

With the state in severe drought, 15 desalination projects are proposed along the coast from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay.

“Everybody is watching Carls-bad to see what’s going to hap-pen,” said Peter MacLaggan, vice president of Poseidon Water, the Boston fi rm building the plant.

For the plant to succeed, Posei-don will have to deliver high-qual-

ity drinking water at the price promised — and not cause unex-pected impacts to the environment such as fi sh die-o� s.

Desalinated water typically costs about $2,000 an acre-foot. That’s twice the cost of obtain-ing water from building new reser-voirs or recycling wastewater, and about four times the cost of water retained through conservation.

High costs have shut down proj-ects elsewhere. Santa Barbara built a plant for $34 million and kept it open for only four months in 1991. The drought ended and the city shut it down because water from other sources was cheaper.

Some experts say the plants are coming despite the cost.

“In the next 10 years you are probably going to have three big plants built in Southern Califor-nia and another plant or two in Northern California,” said Tom Pankratz, editor of the Water De-salination Report. “The trend is toward more desal. They are the most reasonable insurance pol-icy against a long, protracted drought.”

DESALINATION

The big takeaway: salt

PHOTOS BY SCOTT VARLEY — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Workers assemble giant seawater intake pipes for the $1 billion desalination plant in Carlsbad.

The new desalination plant is being built behind the Encina Power Station.

For the plant to succeed,

high-quality drinking water

will have to be delivered

at the price promised

without causing

unexpected impacts to the environment.

By Mike [email protected]@mreicher on Twitter

IT’S ONE THING that Sacramento Republi-cans and Democrats can agree upon: The state

has to act to preserve Califor-nia’s water supply.

This past legislative ses-sion was unusually produc-tive as lawmakers approved a $7.5 billion water bond for the November ballot and created the state’s fi rst plan to regu-late groundwater use. Also, regulators passed mandatory conservation rules that allow fi nes up to $500 per day.

Those stricter measures came after Gov. Jerry Brown called on Californians in Jan-uary to voluntarily conserve 20 percent of water. But by May, the reduction was closer to 5 percent, and the Wa-ter Quality Control Board later voted to force local gov-ernments to patrol for water wasters.

“There are some taking that approach very seriously and being aggressive, but oth-ers are not,” said Andrew Fah-lund, the deputy director of the California Water Founda-tion.

Los Angeles hired three new “water cops” in Au-gust to enforce its conserva-tion laws, which have been on the books for years but were rarely used to issue citations. Residents across the South-land now have to remember when to water their lawns, or face fi nes.

Voters will also be asked to pass the water bond, which focuses on rebuilding reser-voirs, cleaning contaminated aquifers and installing water- saving technology. In South-ern California, it would sup-port projects that bolster the local supply and wean the re-gion o� of imported water.

POLITICS

Common ground in SacramentoAction by lawmakers includes putting water bond on November ballot

LENNOX MCLENDON — ASSOCIATED PRESS


Gov. Jerry Brown, le� , with former Assembly Speaker John Perez in February, � nds himself once again leading a state in the midst of a historic drought — just as he was in 1977, below.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN — GETTY IMAGES

Brown grass is the new green at the state Capitol in Sacramento, where groundskeepers have implemented a reduced watering program and allowed large sections of the lawn die o� .

Keys terms and the role of agencies in understanding the droughtState Water Project: Built mostly in the 1960s, the state’s largest water project brings water from the state’s wet northern region to 25 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland.Central Valley Project: A federal water canal-and-storage system built primarily in the 1940s irrigates about one-third of California’s farmland.Bay-Delta Accord: An agreement signed in 1994 that followed a crippling drought that lasted from 1987 to 1992. Environmen-talists and Northern Californians said farmers and Southern California suburbanites were all but destroying the wetland eco-system between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay. The accord protected wildlife areas while trying to maintain a steady £ ow of water for customers.The All-American Canal System: The federally owned but locally operated canal system routes water from the Colorado River to farms and population centers in the southern edge of the state. It was built in the 1930s.Aquifers: Underground natural formations of rock that store rain and snowmelt and provide water for communities all over the state, including much of the San Gabriel Valley, southeast Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.Los Angeles Aqueduct: A canal completed in 1913 that brought water from the eastern Sierra Nevada to Los Angeles. A second canal was completed in 1970s. Sources: California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bureau of Recla-mation, LANG research

UNDERSTANDING THE DROUGHT

“This year, it really feels scary. Unless we have an incredible February or a miracle March, this looks bad.”— Sue McClurg, a spokeswoman for the Water Education FoundationFeb. 15, 2014

“We are in drought. We have been in drought for a long time and it is large scale. And this is for the entire state.”— Bill Patzert, climatologis, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada FlintridgeDec. 22, 2013

“People are stepping up. It’s not enough yet, but we are heading in the right direction.”— Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board on water conservation e� orts in the state.Sept. 10, 2014


Director Anthony R. FellowPh.D., President

Division 1

Director Charles M. Treviño Division 2

Director Ed ChavezVice President

Division 3

Director Michael TouheySecretary/Treasurer

Division 4

Director Bryan UriasDivision 5

www.upperdistrict.org /upperwaterdistrict

California is experiencing one of the most severe and record-break-ing droughts due to below average precipitation levels and increased temperatures. In January, Governor Jerry Brown issued a statewide emergency drought declaration calling upon all Califor-nians to lower their individual water use by 20 percent. The average Californian uses 196 gallons of water per day; 30 to 60 percent of this water is used for outdoor purposes alone. Through a variety of measures that can be made daily, Californians are being asked to find the right combination that works for them to reduce their water use by 20 percent, or 39 gallons a day. The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District encourages San Gabriel Valley residents and businesses to be water wise and continue conserving water as a way of life. Through its adoption of new community-based programs and increased grassroots outreach, Upper District has taken proactive steps to further educate residents on water-saving product rebates and conservation tips and best practices.

The Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Program is one of Upper District’s community-based conservation programs taking place this year. Outdoor water use accounts for the highest percentage of regional water use, and grass turf is one of the most water-thirsty plants. Thus, outdoor water use for landscaping purposes is one of the most promising targets for future water savings. To better integrate and communicate the need for low impact, sustainable outdoor landscaping, the Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Program is converting high-water-need landscapes to

water efficient and drought tolerant gardens at five public spaces across the District’s service area.

Upper District’s Board of Directors selected five public spaces in the cities of Arcadia, Covina, Duarte, La Puente, and South Pasadena to implement the Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Program. These sites were selected in visible and accessible locations to provide community members with examples of sustainable landscaping; drawing further attention and interest to water efficient gardening practices. Each of the five sites were selected with the intent of reducing its water footprint by installing high-effi-ciency irrigation systems, low-water-use plants, and on-site storm-water retention and capture. The sustainable landscape demonstra-tion projects in Arcadia and Covina have already been completed, and the projects in Duarte, La Puente, and South Pasadena are well underway.

Upper District encourages residents and businesses throughout the San Gabriel Valley to consider using sustainable landscaping at their own properties. Recently, the incentive rebate for turf removal was increased from $1 to $2 per-square-foot, encouraging the substitu-tion of turf with California Friendly® plants and alternative landscape materials. As a result, requests for residential turf removal rebates increased to 2.5 million square feet during July 2014 - in comparison to 99,000 square-feet in January. This is essentially equivalent to removing 1,665 typical southland front yards! For more information on turf removal and other water-saving rebates and tips, please visit: www.socalwatersmart.com and www.bewaterwise.com.

Covina City Hall Demonstration Garden

Corner of Huntington Drive & 2nd Ave. Arcadia, CA

Going Green with Sustainable Landscape Gardens

EMPTY

F U L L2012

PROJECTEDYEAR END

DRIEST YEARON RECORD

2014

2013

JANUARY2014

CALIFORNIA IS IN A DROUGHTOUR RESERVE LEVELS ARE DROPPING

By the end of 2014, we expect the water gauge to fall into the yellow. This signals that water supplies could be restricted if the drought

continues, which is why saving water is serious. Conservation helps maintain healthy reserves and a reliable water supply for the future.

Thank you for your part in conserving.

For conservation tips and rebate information visit bewaterwise.com®.

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2014 Drought

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