Western Drought Has Developers Planning Ahead, And Low-Hanging Low-Flow Fruit Is Already Picked In 2015, during California’s last years-long drought, then-Gov. Jerry Brown mandated that Californians cut back water use by 25%. The effort more or less worked, resulting in residents reducing their water use by 24.5%, but it had lasting effects. Water use today is 16% lower than it was in 2013. As much as 90% of the western U.S. is in some kind of drought. In some areas where the water scarcity is dire, local officials are responding by turning off the tap. In Northern California’s Marin County, the water district is considering banning new homes that require hookups to the water system, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. In Utah, one town had grown “as remote workers flocked in from the West Coast and second homeowners staked weekend ranches,” but it instituted a construction moratorium on new homes that would hook up to the town’s water system, The New York Times reported. 
For a number of reasons, much of Southern California isn't at that point yet. Most of the area has so far avoided having a drought emergency declared, and many water providers in the region aren't expecting water shortages.  Read the full story here. | 
