The Long Beach Water Department’s Lawn-to-Garden program offers up to $15,000 for projects that convert turf lawns to drought-tolerant landscaping. Outdoor watering restrictions go into effect June 1 and are expected to stay in place until drought conditions let up.
Outdoor watering will be limited to Tuesdays and Saturdays now that the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners moved the city into Stage 2 of its water shortage conservation plan.
Water agencies that serve 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland will get just 5% of what they’ve requested this year from state supplies beyond what’s needed for critical activities such as drinking and bathing.
Forecasters are, however, predicting rain later this week.
Precipitation will then spread into Southern California on Monday, with 80% chance of rain in Long Beach, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials this week warned water providers south of the Delta who rely on state water allocations — already slashed to 5% this year — to brace for the possibility of zero supply next year.
According to Metropolitan Water District officials, Southern California’s water supply has been severely impacted by extreme drought in both the Northern Sierra and the Colorado River, saying crucial storage reservoirs have never been lower.
Long Beach is well above average for this time of year.
The U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday that just over 67 percent of the state is totally free of any level of dryness.
Another storm system is expected to bring more rain Tuesday night through Friday, and frigid temperatures all week.
