Governor Newsom’s new drought order for cities and other water agencies also means the return of the 20-percent conservation mandate for NID customers. Water Operations Manager Chip Close says that had just been lifted a couple of months ago…

click to listen to Chip Close

Close says the timing of the change isn’t known yet. NID is currently calling for a 10-percent voluntary water reduction, or Stage One of their Drought Contingency Plan. Close says he’s not surprised about returning to Stage Two…

click to listen to Chip Close

Last year, Newsom urged voluntary water use reduction of 15-percent statewide. But consumption had only dropped by four-percent in September and was just under six-percent in January. Overall, storage levels are 31-percent below normal at California’s major reservoirs.