Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s expanded drought declaration and his call for Californians to voluntarily reduce water use by 15 percent:

“Southern California must be part of the statewide movement to address the significant water supply challenges created by drought and climate change. We are one when it comes to water, and our state’s river ecosystems and snowpack-reliant supplies are under greater and greater stress. The governor’s call for the public to voluntarily cutback water use by 15 percent demonstrates the seriousness of this growing drought yet preserves the flexibility local managers need. Southern Californians have done a great job maintaining lower water use since the last drought, yet this drought demands that we all re-examine and renew our water-saving habits and do everything we can to use this precious resource as wisely as possible.”

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

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