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2 <br />6. On July 15, 2014, the State Water Board adopted an emergency regulation to support <br />water conservation (Resolution No. 2014-0038), and that regulation became effective <br />July 28, 2014 upon approval by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL); <br /> <br />7. On March 17, 2015, the State Water Board amended and readopted the emergency <br />regulation to support water conservation (Resolution No. 2015-0013), which became <br />effective March 27, 2015 upon approval by OAL; <br /> <br />8. The current emergency regulation has supported Californians’ water conservation <br />efforts, with over 125 billion gallons saved from August 2014 through March 2015; <br />however, statewide water use is only nine percent less than the same months in 2013. <br />Achieving a 25 percent reduction in use will require even greater conservation efforts <br />across the state. In particular, many communities must dramatically reduce their <br />outdoor water use; <br /> <br />9. In many areas, 50 percent or more of daily water use is for lawns and outdoor <br />landscaping. Outdoor water use is generally discretionary, and many irrigated <br />landscapes will survive while receiving a decreased amount of water; <br /> <br />10. Although urban water suppliers have placed restrictions on outdoor watering, the State <br />Water Board continues to receive reports of excessive outdoor water use; <br /> <br />11. Water conservation is the easiest, most efficient and most cost-effective way to quickly <br />reduce water demand and extend supplies into the next year, providing flexibility for all <br />California communities. Water saved this summer is water available later in the season <br />or next year, reducing the likelihood of even more severe water shortages should the <br />drought continue; <br /> <br />12. Education and enforcement against water waste is a key tool in conservation programs. <br />When conservation becomes a social norm in a community, the need for enforcement is <br />reduced or eliminated; <br /> <br />13. Public information and awareness is critical to achieving conservation goals, and the <br />Save Our Water campaign, run jointly by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) <br />and the Association of California Water Agencies, is an excellent resource for <br />conservation information and messaging that is integral to effective drought response <br />(http://saveourwater.com); <br /> <br />14. Many California communities are facing social and economic hardship due to this <br />drought. The rest of us can make adjustments to our water use, including landscape <br />choices that conserve even more water; <br /> <br />15. The California Constitution declares, at article X, section 2, that the water resources of <br />the state must be put to beneficial use in a manner that is reasonable and not wasteful. <br />Relevant to the current drought conditions, the California Supreme Court has clarified <br />that “what may be a reasonable beneficial use, where water is present in excess of all <br />needs, would not be a reasonable beneficial use in an area of great scarcity and great <br />need. What is a beneficial use at one time may, because of changed conditions, become <br />a waste of water at a later time.” (Tulare Dist. v. Lindsay Strathmore Dist. (1935) 3 <br />Cal.2d 489, 567.) In support of water conservation, the legislature has, through Water <br />Code section 1011, deemed reductions in water use due to conservation as equivalent <br />10.A. - Page 10