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A scene like like could lead to a $500 fine. Courtesy of Stephen Laufer

J.D. Hillard | KUSP News
This week Watsonville’s City Council approved new restrictions on water use following an emergency mandate issued by Governor Jerry Brown last month.

The emergency measure was aimed at reducing outdoor water use in urban areas. A lot of water districts have a variety of restrictions already, the mandate specifies all districts have to adopt measures such as prohibiting watering that causes runoff or washing cars without a nozzle that shuts off.

In order to comply Watsonville adopted the mandated limit for outdoor watering: no more than two days per week for less than 15 minutes.

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By Wes Sims | KUSP News

During droughts cities tell residents to stop watering outside. Farms don’t have that option. This drought highlights the challenge growers face maintaining agriculture while preserving water supplies. It’s become part of the curriculum for a program that educates community leaders about local agricultural issues.
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By KUSP News

As numerous coastal communities face dwindling water supplies, state regulators Wednesday discussed how to keep proposed desalination plants from sucking marine life into intake pipes or damaging habitat with toxic brine.

As many as 15 coastal communities have proposals or plans in various stages of development for desalination to augment water supplies.

The State Water Resources Control Board is considering a proposed regulation that would require plants to draw their water from wells under the floor of the Pacific and dilute brine - the main waste created by desalination – before it goes back into the ocean.  The code does allow a project to use another method if geology or other conditions make these wells impossible.

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A scene like like could lead to a $500 fine. Courtesy of Stephen Laufer

…voluntary conservation measures have failed to achieve the 20 percent reduction that Gov. Jerry Brown was hoping for.

By L. Carol Ritchie (via nprnews) -

Californians who waste water will have to pay up to $500 a day for their extravagance under new restrictions approved Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board.

The move comes after the board concluded that voluntary conservation measures have failed to achieve the 20 percent reduction in water use that Gov. Jerry Brown was hoping for, reports The Associated Press.

In fact, a survey by the board showed a 1 percent increase in water use in May compared to the same month a year ago.

Residents will be fined for wasteful outdoor watering, including “watering landscaping to the point that runoff flows onto sidewalks, washing a vehicle without a nozzle on the hose, or hosing down hard surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways,” AP reports.

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Before rationing took effect, Santa Cruz checked water use with an aggressive public information campaign. Photo: Wes Sims.

By Wes Sims | KUSP News

Two of the larger districts in the Monterey Bay area rely on rivers for their water. Under rationing, in Santa Cruz, if your family uses fifteen hundred gallons over the limit, Water Director Rosemary Menard says “You’d be looking at about 75 dollars a month in fines.”

Meanwhile, on the Monterey Peninsula, there are no fines. Here’s why there’s rationing in one place and not another.

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Julia Calderone | KUSP News

Voters on the Monterey Peninsula turned down the ballot measure that would’ve handed the water management baton from private company Cal Am into the hands of the public. 56 % said no to Measure O.

A yes vote on O would’ve allowed the regulatory Monterey Peninsula Regional Water Management District to determine whether public ownership of the peninsula’s water system would be cheaper for ratepayers in the long run. If so, the public utility would’ve bought out Cal Am’s facilities on the Monterey Peninsula. But Measure O proponent Ron Cohen says that opponents feared that this new role for the district would halt their exploration of new water sources.

Overwhelming Opposition

“Pretty much every political person, except for a few, were against the measure. They were worried that the timing was poor and that it would distract from this new water source. Now they don’t have that anymore and it’s up for them to come up with a new water source.”

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Farmworkers pull weeds from a field of lettuce near Gonzales, Calif. Salinas Valley farms like this one rely on wells, which haven’t been affected much by the drought. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images

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The entire state of California is in a severe drought. Farmers and farmworkers .

You might expect this to cause food shortages and higher prices across the country. After all, California grows 95 percent of America’s broccoli, 81 percent of its carrots and 99 percent of the country’s artichokes, almonds and walnuts, among other foods.

Yet there’s been no sign of a big price shock. What gives?

Here are three explanations.

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In the Central Valley farmers face significantly reduced supply of water. That’s not the case in the SalinasValley, where farmers continue to draw from wells. Wes Sims reports fields remain in production, though growers are taking steps to conserve.

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Cliff Stout, general manager of Classic Salads, demonstrates the harvesting of kale that his company grows in the Salinas Valley. The fresh stalk cracks and snaps in his grip.

“We take our hands around the top few leaves, leaving those behind, and we basically strip the plant of all its leaves, removing kind of the yellow ones or the not so good-looking ones and under…”

Now in its 14^th year of operation, Classic Salads, farms 850 acres of specialty salad and vegetable items. All while keeping an eye on drought conditions throughout California.

“So we’re very thankful for these wells and not depending necessarily on surface water to take care of our crops.”

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There are two big dams on the Carmel River. One of them, the San Clemente, is about to be demolished to restore fish habitat. But with a reservoir full of sediment behind it, that’s a delicate process. KUSP’s Wes Sims reports.

San Clemente Dam. Photoby Wes Sims.

With the threat of winter storms mostly faded, California American Water is continuing its $83 million project to remove the San Clemente Dam and restore the river to its original state. The work, located 18-miles up the Carmel River from the Pacific Ocean, involves capturing 2.5 million yards of mud and rerouting the river.

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Santa Cruz Water Director Rosemary Menard urges residents to use low-flow shower heads and other implements to save water during the drought. Photo: J.D. Hillard / KUSP

By J.D. Hillard | KUSP News

You probably knew it was coming: Since it became clear we haven’t been having a normal winter, water managers around he Monterey Bay have been considering how to reduce demand. Santa Cruz was the first to announce penalties for using more than a certain amount. The measure takes effect in May. The newly appointed water director said that timeline allows the agency to adjust the restrictions if conditions change.

The fines take effect when a household uses more than 10 ccf in a month – that works out to about 60 gallons per person per day for a four person household. Menard says this shouldn’t be too disruptive indoors.

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