On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom extended a drought emergency proclamation across the entire state amid California’s second driest year ever recorded. With a potential third year of drought on the horizon, the declaration calls for Californians to voluntary reduce their water use by 15 percent and authorizes the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to provide aid and relief funding for locales facing water shortages. The proclamation also requires water utilities to implement water shortage contingency plans at “a level appropriate to local conditions.”

Utilities throughout the state have taken different approaches to reduce their community water use; some utilities have launched drought websites, aired conservation advertisements, and held water-saving contests, while some have sought to implement a mandatory water conservation plan wherein customers would face drought surcharges. Water utilities need to continue designing creative ways to conserve water given the predicted time horizon of the current drought and as climate change is likely to induce additional droughts. To increase its long-term water resilience and mitigate against future water shortages, California is investing over $800 million “to secure and expand water supplies, drought contingency planning and… support for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.” Access the official proclamation here or read a relevant news story.