Though California faces serious water shortages, the Legislature's analysts recommend weaker outdoor conservation requirements and longer deadlines.

Water providers say rebates for residential areas are costly and many people refuse to remove their lawns. The rules aim to save enough water for more than a million households a year.

State officials say the urgency to store more water has vanished as storms swell reservoirs. The reversal is a victory for environmentalists, but they say the damage to salmon and native fish is already done.

Despite some early season rain, the U.S. Drought Monitor classifies 99.48% of California as  being in drought. About 85% of the state, and all of Santa Clara County, are classified as being in a severe, extreme or exceptional drought, with reservoirs well below their historical averages for this time of year.

Be sure to get ready for the cold season by reducing your watering. In the fall, your plants need less than half the water needed during the summer. Over the winter, you can turn off irrigation altogether.

For the second month in a row, Santa Clara County exceeded conservation goals set by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and by Gov. Gavin Newsom, reducing water use by 16% compared to 2019. The recommended target was 15%. “It’s encouraging to see local residents and businesses taking action during this severe drought emergency,” said John L. Varela, Valley Water Chair Pro Tem.

Although letting your lawn go brown is encouraged, trees can quickly become stressed or die when irrigation is
reduced or stopped altogether.

Warning that the water supply will shrink by 10% due to climate change, Newsom set targets for recycled water and increased storage. But deadlines are distant, details are scant and there is no conservation.

Worsening droughts, competition for scarce supplies, sea level rise, groundwater contamination, earthquakes, wildfires and extreme weather all contribute to California water woes.