Governor calls for drought relief money

Four years of drought, and now a warm spring is expected to make it worse. Gov. Jerry Brown says California needs relief and needs it now, calling for $1 billion in emergency funds to help conservation efforts.

“People are going to do more and it’s going to be painful,” said Brown calling for legislation to provide immediate aid to communities facing dire water shortages and unemployment as well as infrastructure projects.

“In our older buildings, putting lower-flush toilets in — and that’s not complicated and it’s not high-tech, but it achieves something very quickly. Those are the kind of solutions we need to be looking at,” said State Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff.

The Desert Water Agency plans to work with the valleys other water districts to apply for that relief money.

Right now, the valley’s drought isn’t nearly as bad as the rest of California, but that doesn’t mean the situation is any less of an emergency.

“While we in the Coachella Valley might not see the day-to-day severity of it, it is a very serious situation and as Californians we should all be concerned about it,” said Desert Water Agency spokesperson Katie Ruark.

This comes as the State Water Resources Control Board is expanding statewide restrictions on water use.

“Growing an walnut or an almond takes water, building a new house with a bunch of toilets and showers takes water. So how do we balance and use efficacy with the kind of life that people want in California? That’s the wisdom, how do we do that? There will be restrictions for growers, consumers, for home builders,” said Brown.

It is still too early to know just how many of these new restrictions will apply to the desert. Local water districts are going over the new rules and have 45 days to make adjustments to water restrictions already in place.

Keep in mind there are already things you should be doing at home, watering your lawn in the evening or early morning hours or getting rid of it altogether and replacing it with desert landscaping or even AstroTurf.

“Just take a look at your bill, see how much water you are using, and try to reduce it by 20 percent,” said Ruark.

For more information on how to conserve,click here.