Dive Brief:
- California Gov. Jerry Brown has ordered "a 25 percent reduction on the state’s 400 local water supply agencies, which serve 90 percent of California residents, over the coming year," The New York Times reported. Those agencies must now determine how to restrict residents' water usage and ensure compliance.
- These mandatory water restrictions will affect homeowners and businesses, and farmers may see varying effects as well. Many farmers have already experienced cuts in their water supply due to the drought.
- Large farm owners — that get their water beyond local agencies — are not included in the 25% reduction restriction, but they will have to provide "detailed reports to state regulators about water use, ideally as a way to highlight incidents of water diversion or waste," according to The New York Times.
Dive Insight:
State officials do not believe the governor's executive order will cause a farm or food price hike, as far as in the immediate future. Beyond that, only time will tell how the water restrictions will affect daily life for Californians, including farmers, or if more stringent water restrictions will be imposed in the future if the problem isn't resolved.