Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California Wednesday

Get ready for short showers and brown lawns: More than 6 million Southern Californians will be placed under new drought rules Wednesday in an unprecedented effort to conserve water.

The restrictions are a response to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s urgent call for a 35% reduction in water use following California’s driest-ever start to the year. MWD’s board has never before issued such severe cuts, but said they were left with little recourse after state officials slashed deliveries from the State Water Project to just 5%.

“We have not had the supply to meet the normal demands that we have, and now we need to prioritize between watering our lawns and having water for our children and our grandchildren and livelihood and health,” MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil said during the agency’s announcement at the end of April.

More than 97% of the state is now under severe, extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Many of the region’s most critical reservoirs are at half capacity or less.