In California, water cuts disappoint cities that spent heavily to prepare for drought

Published May 21, 2015

Some California cities are finding their past preparations for drought count for nothing under sweeping new statewide cuts to water consumption.

The San Diego region invested heavily in an effort that included building the Western hemisphere's largest desalination plant, which opens this fall.

It also began buying water from California's Imperial Valley in the nation's largest farm-to-city water transfer.

Orange County started recycling water through ground basins in 2008 and decided last year to boost production to 100 million gallons a day.

The moves, however, don't matter under statewide cuts to urban water use approved this week that require local agencies to reduce consumption between 8 percent and 36 percent from 2013 levels.

The largest per-capita users must make the biggest percentage cuts, no matter how and where they get their water.

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