As California stretches into its third year of drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning local officials that more needs to be done to save water, and to make sure all residents realize how urgent the crisis is
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If not, Newsom said, Californians could face mandatory statewide water restrictions this summer.Newsom met with the leaders of the largest urban water suppliers on Monday and implored that they"take more aggressive actions to combat drought and better engage their customers to ensure all Californians are doing their part to save water.
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Despite reservoirs dropping to critically low levels -- the largest ones currently at half of their historical averages, the state said -- the data shows the majority of Californians aren't conserving enough. In July 2021, Newsom announced a drought emergency, calling on residents and businesses to voluntarily cut their water usage by 15%.