According to proposed water conservation regulations, by 2035, water providers in California would be required to reduce their water use by 14%.
While some locals say they are on board with the efforts to conserve, others disagree.
“If we need more water, or whatever it is, there are other ways to go about it than put it on residents,” said Orcutt resident Serena McKinsey.
The proposed water use rules would require more than 400 statewide providers to adopt water use budgets and satisfy varying conservation goals. However, in a report released earlier this month, the state Legislative Analyst’s Office criticized the proposal, calling it costly and difficult to achieve.
McKinsey feels enough water restrictions are already in place.
“We are already told as it is that we are only supposed to water our grass a couple days out of the week for 15 to 30 minutes,” she said. “It is ridiculous. How many more rules can we take?”
Meanwhile, Bettina Arias who lives in Santa Maria, tells KSBY that conserving water is a top priority. She says that 10 years ago, she replaced her garden sprinkler with a drip line.
“It saves water because the water goes directly to the plant and doesn’t run off everywhere. It has a timer for how much it is going to run, and it only does that so you are not over-using water,” she explained.
The report from state legislative advisers also calls for changes to the proposed regulations, including extending deadlines and loosening outdoor water use restrictions.
Arias, however, adds that while last winter’s rains relieved drought conditions in California, she believes additional conservation policies are still needed.
“We don’t get enough rain. And when we do get enough rain, people think it is okay to start overusing the water again,” she said.
But McKinsey feels the calls for more restrictions are too much.
“I don’t think there are people out there wasting water, leaving faucets on for no reason or anything like that. But most of us are not going to comply with more regulations, more rules. We are going to do what we need to do,” she stated.
We also reached out to several local water agencies for comment on possible challenges of meeting the proposed conservation requirements, but none were available.
It is expected that the State Water Board will consider adopting the regulations this summer.
State water officials say the savings from the proposed reductions could be enough to supply more than 1 million California homes with water every year.
