California is experiencing its third year of drought, which started in 2011. In 2014, the state experienced its third driest year on record since 1896. In April 2015, Gov. Brown signed an executive order requiring communities to reduce potable water usage at least 25 percent across the state.
| "The State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) shall impose restrictions to achieve a statewide 25 percent reduction in potable urban water usage through Feb. 28, 2016. These restrictions will require water suppliers to California's cities and towns to reduce usage as compared to the amount used in 2013. These restrictions should consider the relative per capita water usage of each water suppliers' service area and require that those areas with high per capita use achieve proportionally greater reductions than those with low use. The California Public Utilities Commission is requested to take similar action with respect to investor-owned utilities providing water services." |
UC Merced is pursuing strategies and projects to aggressively reduce potable water use to meet the 25 percent potable water reduction goal. This is especially difficult because the campus is still experiencing growth during this time. However, we are confident that with support from the campus community, we will meet the water reduction challenge.
This webpage tracks UC Merced's potable water usage as well as the campus' specific efforts to meet the 25 percent reduction goal.
