Gov. Newsom visits Lopez Lake to discuss drought

Posted: 2:15 pm, July 8, 2021 by Reporter Saab Sahi

Governor Newsom at Lopez Lake during a live stream

Governor asks for voluntary water reductions of 15%

–On Thursday at noon, Gov. Gavin Newsom live-streamed from Lopez Lake to announce that nine more counties, including San Luis Obispo County, will be added to his drought emergency proclamation. This brings the total number of counties under the proclamation up to 50 out of the 58 counties in California. The 50 counties represent 42% of the state’s population.

“Thank you for the opportunity to be here in this truly spectacular part of our state,” said Newsom. He laid out California’s history of droughts and how they’ve been dealt with in the past.

“We have conservation as a way of life as it relates to more effective use and utilization and distribution of water resources,” said Newsom. “However, conditions are such they continue to devolve and as a consequence today, we are doing what we had signaled was likely to happen.”

His proclamation allows local water agencies and other partners to more efficiently address issues, according to Newsom. He also announced an executive order, which offers a framework for voluntary conservation efforts on all fronts of water consumption and is asking for water usage to be voluntarily reduced by 15%.

“We are encouraging people to do common sense things,” said Newsom.

Water conservation tips:

Checking for leaks
Update efficiency of showerheads
Ensure laundry and dishwasher run with full loads

He said that these tips and others are available at saveourwater.com. They will help people save money, as well as save water for the state of California, he said.

Newsom also pointed out that water usage going into this drought is already lower by 16% than it was in 2013, and is hopeful that the lessons learned from then will help combat the current drought.

“We are in a position that is a little more advantageous than the last time we went through a multi-year drought,” said Newsom.

He also put the spotlight back on the proposal in the “California Comeback Plan” to invest $5.1 billion dollars into modernizing water infrastructure, drought preparedness, and response, and water resilience.

At the end of his speech, he signed both drafts for the expansion of the drought emergency proclamation and executive order on the live stream.

“The hot’s getting a lot hotter, the dry’s getting a lot dryer and climate change is here,” said Newsom near the end of the live stream.