California’s new drought rules: will they be enough to halt the ‘alarming challenges’ ahead?

As dry conditions prevail, the state is restricting outdoor watering while exploring other avenues of water

With little hope of reprieve ahead of the warming summer months, demand for water in parts of drought-stricken California is outpacing supply.

The metropolitan water district of southern California declared a water shortage emergency last week for areas that rely on the State Water Project, a sprawling system of canals, reservoirs, and pipelines that snake across roughly two-thirds the length of the state, affecting about 6 million southern Californians in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.