The Stream, July 10: California Considers Mandatory Outdoor Water Restrictions

Because California’s cities have not cut water use in line with recommendations during a historic drought, state regulators proposed a set of mandatory restrictions to curb excessive lawn watering, sidewalk spraying, and car washing, the Los Angeles Times reports. The water board will hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss the proposal. If adopted the rules would take effect August 1.

Texas City Responds to Drought
Wichita Falls, population 104,000, became the second city in Texas to recycle wastewater for drinking, the Associated Press reports. The city’s reservoirs are 80 percent empty after several years of drought.

Water Pollution
The Democratic governor of Washington state proposed tougher water pollution standards that aim to prevent harmful chemicals from entering state waters, according to the Seattle Times. The governor also proposed an increase in the human fish-consumption rate, a metric that influences what levels of pollution are tolerated.

Plains Plans
Kansas officials are on a week-long tour to gather public opinion on strategies to secure the state’s water supply for the next 50 years. The draft “water vision”, as the document is called, emphasizes conservation of the declining Ogallala Aquifer and improvements to surface reservoirs.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton