After a rainy winter, emergency outdoor watering restrictions lifted for 7 million Southern California residents in MWD’s service area.

LOS ANGELES — After the wettest winter in years helped curb the state’s extreme drought, emergency water restrictions are being lifted for nearly 7 million Southern California residents.

Since June 2022, the Southern California Metropolitan Water District has required residents in its service area to either limit outdoor watering to one day a week or live within certain volume limits.

They applied to water agencies that served nearly one-third of the region’s residents, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and some utilities in Ventura County, the San Gabriel Valley, and the Inland Empire.

This emergency measure has now been lifted.

However, the move came with warnings: California is not completely free of dry conditions, and concerns remain about future water supplies.

“Southern California is still experiencing a water shortage,” said Tracey Quinn, chairman of the MWD One Water committee. “The more efficiently we use water today, the more we can save for a dry year ahead.”

“And as we face the climate whip, dry conditions could return as early as next year. Metropolitanis is committed to helping residents save water through our extensive rebate and incentive programs.”

The six water agencies that were included in the original order can be found here.

Also, while MWD lifts its emergency measures, local agencies such as LADWP may continue to impose their own stringent restrictions on watering and other activities.

The emergency measures were put in place last year after the state of California said it would only be able to ship limited supplies through the State Water Project, which transports water from Northern California to Southern California.

This comes after the state experienced three of the driest years in its history from 2020 to 2022, according to MWD.

But a series of snowstorms and atmospheric rivers this winter helped restore snow cover to the Sierra Nevada and refill depleted reservoirs, resulting in a massive grant from the State Water Project.

Nearly two feet of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles this winter, making it the 14th rainiest in 140 years of records, according to the National Weather Service.

And it’s not over yet. The atmospheric river has brought at least two inches into the city center this week and more rain is forecast next week.

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