Newsom Signs Executive Order to Conserve Water

Photo of Gavin Newsom by Gage Skidmore

It’s no secret that California is in a very serious drought. Fifty of the state’s 58 counties are now in a drought-related state of emergency and the reservoirs that hold our water supply are at record lows. One town is literally going without water. This is of course helping fuel what will likely be our worst fire season yet.

So given this terrible situation, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order yesterday that asks all Californians to reduce their water usage by 15%. That said, the executive order doesn’t actually do anything other than say “please use less water”.

As SF Gate reports, “The governor encouraged residents to visit the state’s Save Our Water website for tips on water conservation. He did not discuss whether mandatory restrictions would be required in the future, but said that Californians are using less water now than they did prior to the 2013-2016 drought, the last time statewide mandatory restrictions were imposed.”

Besides taking shorter showers and watering your lawn less, BAS writer Nik Wojcik laid out 17 tips and tricks that you may not have thought of to conserve water. One clever example is “Save water from steamed vegetables and use the nutrient-rich leftovers to feed your plants.” You can read them all right here.