Water in Southern California has always been a limited resource. With an average rainfall of 14 inches, Los Angeles is close to being a desert (defined as an area receiving less than 10 inches of rainfall annually). The problem is that there are too many people and too little supply. To alleviate the problem, Southern California has to import most of its water from outside the region --- from Northern California and from outside the state. This supply is limited.
In spite of the danger, residents of the area treat water as an endless resource and squander fully half the available supply on landscaping --- primanily lawns.
There have been watering restrictions in place for more than four years specifying when and how long one use sprinklers, yet most households proceed to water as if the prohibition is merely a suggestion.
It is time for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to enforce the restrictions that are in place before the situation becomes desperate!
To date, the current LADWP administration seems to be hoping that they can get through the immediate shortage and delay until is someone else's responsibility to make the hard choices.
We call on the LADWP to do their job and to stand behind the watering restrictions by policing and fining violators and putting some teeth into the law rather than simply rely on the diligence of a responsible few.
