LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California’s gigantic water supplier has taken the unprecedented step of forcing about 6 million people to cut their outdoor watering to one day a week as an extended drought plagues the state.
The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a water emergency Tuesday in parts of three counties where the shortage is acute — Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino.
It's requiring six water agencies it supplies in those areas to implement the cutback on June 1.
The agency relies on water from the Colorado River and the State Water Project to supply 40% of the state population. But the State Water Project expects to provide only 5% of its usual allocation.
