Governor Brown orders mandatory restrictions to reduce state water usage by 25 percent.

As he stood on a patch of parched earth in the Sierra Nevada earlier today, Gov. Jerry Brown issued a stunning proclamation:

"Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action," he says in a statement. "Therefore, I'm issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state."

It was not an April Fool's joke.

Brown gave an executive order to the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions across the state to reduce water usage by 25 percent, which would save about 1.5 million acre feet of water over the next nine months. 

In the statement, Brown's order calls on SWRCB to:

-Replace 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping in partnership with local governments;

-Direct the creation of a temporary, statewide consumer rebate program to replace old appliances with more water and energy efficient models;

-Require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to make significant cuts in water use; and

-Prohibit new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used, and ban watering of ornamental grass on public street medians. 

His order also calls for pricing structures where the cost of water increases with greater usage, a practice already implemented by Cal Am. 

It also calls for greater enforcement measures:

-Taking action against water agencies in depleted groundwater basins that have not shared data on their groundwater supplies with the state;

-Updating standards for toilets and faucets and outdoor landscaping in residential communities and taking action against communities that ignore these standards; and

-Making permanent monthly reporting of water usage, conservation and enforcement actions by local water suppliers. 

His executive order can be viewed here.