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What’s your drought plan, Southern California? Tell us how you’re saving water

A sprinkler waters a lawn in Carlsbad
Outdoor watering could be cut to once a week or restricted entirely in some parts of Southern California.
(Phil Diehl / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Some Southern Californians are on the hook to reduce their water use by 35%, starting June 1. That’s not an easy task in a region deep in a years-long drought, where many people have already ripped out lawns, upgraded to more efficient appliances and taken other steps to conserve.

But conserve we must. Typical daily water use in Southern California is about 125 gallons per person. The cuts that water authorities announced recently seek to push the average down to about 80 gallons a day. That’s because the State Water Project — which provides water to about 6 million people in the region — is trying to avoid even more disruptive restrictions.

“We need to stretch the water because we can’t get any more water at this point” for these parts of Southern California, Adel Hagekhalil, the Metropolitan Water District’s general manager, told The Times recently. “We’re saying the water we have available to us is the water that’s going to last us until the end of the year. And we want everyone to help.”

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So tell us how you’re going to do it. We’ll share the best tips you send as Southern California searches for ways to use less water.

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