Santa Ana prepares for the drought

Santa Ana Prepares for Drought

By: Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido

California is in its fourth year of a severe drought. In response, Governor Jerry Brown issued an Executive Order on April 1st, mandating statewide water reductions for the first time in history. The Governor’s Executive Order calls for a reduction in water usage by 25 percent statewide. To achieve these savings, the State Water Board has adopted emergency regulations to set water use reduction targets for communities around the state.

What does this mean in Santa Ana?

Santa Ana has been issued a mandatory 12 percent water use reduction target. Among other restrictions, the new regulations also include prohibitions on using potable water for irrigation of ornamental turf in street medians and prohibition on using potable water for irrigation outside of new home construction without drip or micro-spry systems.

The City of Santa Ana is developing a Drought Action Plan that will outline water conservation strategies to reach our 12% reduction target. In addition to extensive public outreach, the plan may include ordinance changes and a Stage 2 Water Conservation declaration which would limit watering to twice a week. To find out what you can do to use water wisely and for information on conservation rebates and incentive programs, visit www.bewaterwise.com.