Are you ready to give up your green lawn?

Photo by Ton Rulkens/ CC/ Flickr

The drought is starting to take its toll on the Metropolitan Water District, the agency responsible for making sure that water keeps flowing from faucets throughout Southern California. Jeffrey Kightlinger, head of the agency, announced that its billions of gallons still in reserves could run out in 18 months.

Consumers need to start conserving, said Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA, Stephanie Pincetl. She spoke to Press Play and urged Californians to pay attention to water use at home. “We are facing a very serious situation,” said Pincetl.

Because the MWD has stockpiled water so well (the agency’s job) and reassured people that there is plenty of water (also, its job), people have been “lulled into a sense of false security,” she said.

However, with 50 percent of water use occurring outdoors – literally in yards around the Southland – Pincetl sees a lot of opportunity for conservation. “We do have a lot of room to conserve water going forward,” she said. “We should be thinking about drastically reducing how much water we should be using outdoors.” Perhaps watering a tree is worth the usage, but not the lawns. “Look at your landscape, think about what you want to last over time,” she said.