Gov. Jerry Brown announced several mandatory restrictions aimed at reducing statewide water usage by 25 percent in response to the severe drought.
The mandate includes a project to replace 50 million square feet of lawns with drought-tolerant plants and requires college campuses to reduce water usage. In total, the plan is estimated to save 1.5 million acre-feet of water within the next nine months, according to a state press release.
UCLA and the University of California system have already been working to reduce water usage and UCLA already has several projects underway to continue to reduce its water footprint, said Nurit Katz, UCLA’s chief sustainability officer and executive officer of UCLA Facilities Management.
“It’s unclear whether the mandate will change anything (for UCLA),” Katz said. “Right now, we’re doing as much as we can. It would be very helpful if the governor’s office would provide some funding for this.”
Some current water reduction projects include new artificial turf on the intramural field and drought-tolerant plants replacing the grass in front of Murphy Hall, saving a total of 11.3 million gallons of water a year, Katz said. Turf-replacement projects are financially supported by funding from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
UCLA is also coordinating with the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation to discuss the possibility of installing a waste treatment plant on campus that would recycle water from the residence halls, she said.
Unlike some other UC campuses, UCLA has not yet exceeded its goals for water reduction.
Compiled by Janie Brunson, Bruin contributor.