{"id":19094,"date":"2026-10-24T03:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/19094\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T03:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:30:44","slug":"regulators-ordered-californians-to-use-25-less-water-desert-golf-courses-cut-back-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/19094\/","title":{"rendered":"Regulators ordered Californians to use 25% less water. Desert golf courses cut back 8%."},"content":{"rendered":"

July 20, 2016Updated July 26, 2016, 12:39 p.m. PT<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

During the past year of drought, while many Californians have heeded the call to conserve and managed to achieve water-savings of nearly 25 percent statewide, one group of water users hasn\u2019t measured up: the golf courses that spread out across thousands of acres in the desert.<\/p>\n

A Desert Sun analysis of data provided by water districts reveals that golf courses in the Coachella Valley used just 8 percent less water during the 12-month period ending in May as compared to\u00a0the same months in 2013.<\/p>\n

That overall decrease in golf courses\u2019 water use includes groundwater pumped from wells as well as water from the Colorado River. When those two main sources are considered together, the records show the area\u2019s golf courses used more than 87,000 acre-feet of water, or 28.5 billion gallons, in those 12 months \u2013 enough to supply about 175,000 homes with typical levels of water use.<\/p>\n

The numbers reveal that one of the country\u2019s biggest concentrations of golf courses \u2013 the valley has 121 in all \u2013 has been conserving much less than residential and other water customers, many of whom have been hit with penalties on bills if they miss their conservation targets.<\/p>\n

Golf courses and country clubs have faced only occasional small fines of between $50 and $200 from the Coachella Valley Water District for incidents of wasting water. For the most part, the State Water Resources Control Board hasn\u2019t enforced its drought regulations for commercial properties that rely on private wells. And without any real threat of penalties or formal tracking of water use by regulators, some residents have been left wondering how much golf courses are actually conserving.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re awfully green,\u201d said Lynne Joy Rogers, who lives in La Quinta and sees a disconnect between the mounting strains on water supplies in the Southwest and the ponds, waterfalls and expanses of grass that continue to dominate the area\u2019s golf courses. \u201cThey\u2019re using far more water than they should be, and they need to cut back more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sprinklers<\/p>\n

The drought, one of the most severe in California\u2019s recorded history, is now in its fifth year. The state water board relaxed its emergency drought regulations in June after a wetter winter helped raise the levels of California\u2019s main reservoirs. With that change, none of the valley\u2019s golf courses are now under mandatory orders to cut back.<\/p>\n

But during the past year, between June 2015 and May 2016, when the most stringent drought regulations were in effect, all golf courses using water from private wells were ordered to do one of two things: either limit watering to two days a week, which is impractical in the desert climate, or reduce their water use 25 percent from 2013 levels.<\/p>\n

The monthly records provided by the Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency show that requirement hasn\u2019t been met by the golf sector as a whole.<\/p>\n

Within the overall 8-percent decrease in water use, golf courses\u2019 pumping of groundwater decreased substantially more, by 21 percent. That decline partly reflects one of the water districts\u2019 strategic priorities: connecting more golf courses to pipes carrying Colorado River water and recycled water in order to combat the long-term problem of declining groundwater levels.<\/p>\n

In the past three years, the Coachella Valley Water District has started supplying an additional four golf courses with either Colorado River water or a mix of river water and recycled water, enabling those courses to use less water from their wells. A total of 67 golf courses, or 55 percent of the valley\u2019s total, continue to rely solely on groundwater pumped from wells.<\/p>\n

At the same time, golf courses used 36 percent more water from the Colorado River as compared to three years ago.<\/p>\n

Representatives of golf courses say they\u2019ve been making important progress in conserving water. They also acknowledge they have a long way to go \u2013 a gap underlined by the failure to meet the state\u2019s 25-percent mandate for reducing groundwater pumping even as the number of courses relying on wells shrank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read the numbers the way you read the numbers. It hasn\u2019t been complied with. I don\u2019t think the state ever expected them to be complied with because there was no enforcement mechanism,\u201d said Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association. \u201cI think everyone understood that it would fall short because up until 2014 there wasn\u2019t even legislation on the books that gave any agency of government in California the ability so much as to impose any regulation on groundwater use. So we\u2019re in the infancy of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

An honor system<\/p>\n

California has more than 850 golf courses, and about 14 percent of them are located in the Coachella Valley.<\/p>\n

Nearly three years ago, representatives of the area\u2019s golf industry formed a water conservation task force together with officials of the Coachella Valley Water District. They\u2019ve been meeting regularly since 2014 to plan long-term efforts to reduce water use.<\/p>\n

\u201cGolf courses are doing better or probably as well as they\u2019ve done in the history of the Coachella Valley in terms of water conservation,\u201d Kessler said, \u201cbut this is definitely a work in progress. This is a long-term project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Golfers<\/p>\n

Since June 2015, people who receive drinking water from the Coachella Valley Water District have cut back a cumulative 25.3 percent as compared to 2013, which state officials are using as the baseline year. The Desert Water Agency\u2019s customers reduced their water use 27.5 percent during the same period. Along with more than 400 other water suppliers across California, they\u2019ve been submitting monthly reports to the state on how much they\u2019ve saved.<\/p>\n

Those two agencies, the largest of six in the area, also collect information about water use by golf courses and other businesses that rely on wells. But that information hasn\u2019t been reviewed by state regulators because the drought regulations didn\u2019t call for it.<\/p>\n

Instead, golf courses and other commercial properties such as cemeteries were left with an honor system: They were supposed to keep records of their water use so they could demonstrate they were complying if anyone were to file a complaint. To date, the State Water Resources Control Board has received just one complaint of that type, about a cemetery in San Diego County, and in September the board ordered the cemetery to take additional steps to conserve.<\/p>\n

THE CURRENT:\u00a0Sign up for The Desert Sun\u2019s energy and water newsletter<\/p>\n

Max Gomberg, the state board\u2019s climate and conservation manager, said golf courses and other \u201cself-supplied\u201d commercial properties could be subject to enforcement if the authorities determine they\u2019ve been violating the rules. After the regulations were approved last year, he said, the agency\u2019s officials had to be judicious in choosing where to prioritize their enforcement efforts, and those individual businesses and institutions \u201cweren\u2019t at the top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were really focused on meeting the overall goal. So I wouldn\u2019t say we\u2019ve ignored this issue, because it was raised,\u201d Gomberg said. \u201cBut we had to take a careful look at where we were going to focus our resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colorado River water hasn\u2019t fallen under any restrictions in the desert during the drought. The Coachella Valley Water District says the untreated river water is nonpotable and therefore exempt from the drought regulations, which require local agencies to submit monthly reports about potable water use only.<\/p>\n

\"Water<\/p>\n

Gomberg said state officials\u2019 intent in focusing on \u201cpotable\u201d water was to exclude recycled water generated by wastewater plants. He said what counts as potable water can be a complex question and \u201cthat\u2019s not defined in our regulation with a bright line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it does fall in that grey area. They\u2019re not treating it, but other people who use the same source, the Colorado River, and do treat it, it\u2019s clearly potable water,\u201d Gomberg said. \u201cWater from the Colorado River is used for potable purposes in large swaths of Southern California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Untreated water from the river flows to the valley through the Coachella branch of the All-American Canal. While much of that water is used for farming, increasing amounts have been routed to golf courses, homeowners\u2019 associations and other properties for outdoor irrigation.<\/p>\n

Lake Mead declines to lowest level in history<\/p>\n

During the past year, Colorado River water accounted for nearly 30 percent of golf courses\u2019 total water use, and recycled water made up 12 percent. The remainder, more than 58 percent, was pumped from wells.<\/p>\n

The area\u2019s reliance on the Colorado River has been increasing even as the severely overallocated river faces growing pressures. While Lake Mead has reached its lowest levels in history this year, representatives of California, Arizona and Nevada have been in negotiations on proposals to share in temporary cutbacks to help prevent a more severe shortage.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Coachella Valley Water District is receiving gradually increasing volumes of water from the Colorado River under a 2003 water transfer deal, and the district has plans in the coming years to pipe more of that water to the middle of the valley to combat the long-term problem of declining groundwater levels.<\/p>\n

Tracking water-saving progress<\/p>\n

Golf courses now account for 22.6 percent of the area\u2019s total groundwater use, down slightly from 23.4 percent in 2013.<\/p>\n

Agriculture, which accounts for roughly half of total water use in the Coachella Valley, has been exempt from the drought regulations. The area\u2019s farms used 4 percent more water during the 12-month period ending in May as compared to 2013. Meanwhile, all other nonfarm and nongolf water use \u2013 including water delivered to taps by agencies and water pumped by other well owners \u2013 dropped 18.4 percent during the same period.<\/p>\n

As people have conserved during the drought, the area\u2019s treatment plants have churned out less recycled water, so golf courses have received about 1.3 percent less of that reclaimed water.<\/p>\n

The figures come with some caveats. The Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency prepared the data in response to a request by The Desert Sun. CVWD provided monthly figures by sector for golf sector, agriculture and other users. DWA released information about groundwater pumping by individual well owners, and The Desert Sun divided that data between properties with golf courses and those without.<\/p>\n

Some of the water classified as being used by golf courses may actually include water that\u2019s used to irrigate adjacent common areas or homeowners\u2019 associations. On a number of properties, wells and water meters are shared by golf courses, country clubs and surrounding grassy areas in HOAs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the entity is providing water for a golf course, then we put it in the golf category, but that doesn\u2019t mean that that entity may not also provide irrigation to things that are not golf,\u201d said Steve Bigley, CVWD\u2019s director of environmental services. The district\u2019s staff, he said, typically doesn\u2019t separate water use by sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not part of our work to track how much water different users are using,\u201d Bigley said. Overall, he said, the figures reflect CVWD\u2019s progress toward a key goal of its water management plan: increasing deliveries of Colorado River water to wean golf courses from groundwater as much as possible.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Kessler, of the Southern California Golf Association, said the lack of meticulous recordkeeping over the years appears to skew the numbers somewhat because some of the water pumped by golf courses has increasingly gone to adjacent properties, and that hasn\u2019t been tracked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never been a powerful incentive in the past to split off some of this metering and to keep separate numbers and statistics. There is now,\u201d Kessler said.<\/p>\n

Representatives of the area\u2019s golf courses have set a long-term goal of reducing their total water footprint 10 percent below 2010 levels by 2021. They agreed on that goal before the state water board adopted its drought regulations, and they chose a baseline year when golf courses happened to use less than during the state\u2019s benchmark year of 2013.<\/p>\n

Judging against the available data for 2010, Kessler acknowledged the conservation performance \u201cis disappointing at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agency’s decision could expand farmland in the desert<\/p>\n

During the past year, the figures show golf courses have reduced their use of water from all sources \u2013 including groundwater, Colorado River water and recycled water \u2013 just 1.4 percent compared to 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would help if CVWD had in its possession some of the same regulatory tools that urban water providers have in other parts of the state to create a combination of incentives and disincentives,\u201d Kessler said.<\/p>\n

Under the current system, CVWD and DWA charge well owners per-volume fees based on the costs of importing water to recharge the aquifer. Kessler said it would help if the agencies had the authority to create \u201cgentle sticks, gentle carrots\u201d to encourage courses to stick to a water budget.<\/p>\n

\"Desert<\/p>\n

Budgets have been assigned by other urban districts that deliver water to golf courses in Southern California, and Kessler said that type of system has helped. He said the valley\u2019s Golf and Water Task Force has developed a budget model that would take into account differences in wind and other factors among the area\u2019s golf courses.<\/p>\n

Establishing such a system, however, would require some changes because the local water districts don\u2019t have the authority to do it under state law, Kessler said. Those sorts of changes might be put in place as water districts take on new regulatory responsibilities under California\u2019s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen some traction on this voluntary system, but we remain concerned as to whether we\u2019ll get sufficient traction to get to what we know is the goal,\u201d Kessler said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing some progress moving forward and we hope to see it accelerate, but it\u2019s an open question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conservation incentives \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pace of change may boil down in large part to dollars and cents. While golf remains a key pillar of the desert\u2019s resort economy, many country clubs across the country have been gradually losing members. That trend has squeezed budgets and put some courses out of business.<\/p>\n

To help cover the costs of tearing out grass and putting in desert landscaping, CVWD began offering golf courses cash rebates last year and has provided up to $105,000 to 14 courses. Those rebates, totaling nearly $1 million, were funded with a state grant and covered a portion of the cost for each course to remove up to 7 acres of grass.<\/p>\n

The rebates have been smaller than those offered by some other agencies in Southern California. Golf clubs have also spent their own money as part of those projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are courses in this community that realize, yes, we need to conserve,\u201d said Stu Rowland, director of golf operations at Rancho La Quinta Country Club. \u201cWe understand the issues of groundwater sustainability, and for those courses to take it upon themselves to invest in that, without just getting a million-dollar check for doing it, I think that shows a lot of the concern and the willingness of this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Desert<\/p>\n

At the same time, Rowland agreed with Kessler that to achieve bigger water savings in the years ahead, \u201cyou need some sticks\u201d \u2013 such as a budget system that would establish acceptable levels of water use and penalize any golf courses that don\u2019t comply. Those sorts of limits could help in an area where water prices are among the lowest in the state.<\/p>\n

During the past 13 months, the area\u2019s two biggest water districts say they have issued a combined total of 470 fines for various violations of drought rules such as watering during restricted hours or hosing down driveways.<\/p>\n

CVWD has received 22 complaints of water waste involving country clubs of golf courses for incidents such as broken sprinklers, irrigation runoff, or watering on restricted days. Conservation Manager Katie Ruark said the district issued country clubs and golf courses 11 fines, which can range from $50 to $200.<\/p>\n

Detailed information about water use by individual golf courses has been largely kept confidential in recent years. The Coachella Valley Water District has declined repeated requests for records showing annual groundwater pumping by individual businesses such as golf courses, resorts and farms.<\/p>\n

Bill targets secrecy in California water data<\/p>\n

Until 2013, the district included that data in some of its annual reports. Then CVWD stopped releasing the information after The Desert Sun published the names of some of the area\u2019s biggest water users.<\/p>\n

The issue prompted a lawsuit by the First Amendment Coalition in 2014. In a settlement, DWA resumed disclosing pumping data for businesses and organizations. CVWD later won the case in Riverside County Superior Court, with the judge backing its argument that the district didn\u2019t need to disclose the data.<\/p>\n

The lack of data has made it impossible to track whether individual courses have followed the state\u2019s drought rules. In an investigation last year, The Desert Sun contacted more than 50 golf facilities in an effort to find out whether and how they were complying. Representatives of more than three-fifths of them didn\u2019t respond or declined to be interviewed.<\/p>\n

No enforcement, uneven transparency on golf water rules<\/p>\n

Other managers of golf courses say they\u2019re making big progress in saving water.<\/p>\n

Jonas Conlan, the golf course superintendent at Desert Princess Country Club in Cathedral City, said homeowners have generally welcomed the changes as grass has been ripped out and replaced with decomposed granite, boulders and native plants alongside portions of the 27-hole course.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a little over 200 acres total on the golf course, and we\u2019ll probably have about a little over 10 percent of that after this fall converted to desert landscape,\u201d said Conlan, whose club has invested in the projects and also received a $105,000 rebate from CVWD last year.<\/p>\n

\"Jonas<\/p>\n

Standing in the shade next to a pond on a sweltering afternoon, Conlan explained that he keeps a close eye on the irrigation system to limit watering as much as possible. Along the edges of the course, some patches of green grass were sprinkled with golden blades.<\/p>\n

Two golfers began a game on the course, which was otherwise deserted. They sent balls sailing down a fairway in the 105-degree heat, one of them shouting: \u201cFore!\u201d<\/p>\n

Desert Princess relies on groundwater, so it was subject to the state\u2019s 25-percent cutback requirement.<\/p>\n

Asked if the country club has met that target, Conlan said he thinks so. He said a breakdown needs to be prepared to separate the course\u2019s water use from the adjacent condos and homeowners\u2019 association, all of which share water from two wells.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my initial looks and estimates of it, we seem to be right around the 20 to 25 percent rate,\u201d Conlan said. \u201cAs we pencil out those numbers and figure that stuff out here, we\u2019ll probably be pretty close if not meeting that expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Going forward, he said, the course should be able to easily sustain reductions of 25 percent or more, especially as more turf is removed.<\/p>\n

Many of the Coachella Valley\u2019s golf courses were designed decades ago and use considerably more water than typical courses in Las Vegas or the Phoenix\/Scottsdale area, where tighter rules have led to the construction of desert courses with much less grass.<\/p>\n

Conlan and others in the golf business say they expect courses will continue saving more, especially as attitudes shift toward an acceptance of having a lot less grass.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody needs to understand that there\u2019s sort of a movement to go in a direction where we\u2019re saving water,\u201d Conlan said.<\/p>\n

\"Geese<\/p>\n

Within some golf clubs, Conlan said managers have faced opposition from those who \u201csay they want to have it green and they\u2019ll pay for it green.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yet they have to understand that we can\u2019t necessarily have it all green because there\u2019s only a limited supply of water,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a little bit of time, but I think people know that this is the direction that we have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian James writes about water and the environment for The Desert Sun. Email: ian.james@desertsun.com Twitter: @TDSIanJames<\/p>\n

About the data<\/p>\n

The Desert Sun obtained water data from Coachella Valley water districts in response to requests filed under the California Public Records Act.<\/p>\n

The Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency provided monthly data on the amounts of groundwater pumped, Colorado River water diverted and recycled water delivered since 2009. Small quantities of surface water that DWA collects from creeks were excluded from the analysis.<\/p>\n

As part of the data provided, CVWD provided monthly figures for the golf sector. DWA provided figures for individual well owners, and the Desert Sun divided up those well owners between those with golf courses and those without. In the case of both agencies, some of the water use classified as being for golf may include water that\u2019s used for adjacent common areas or homeowners\u2019 associations.<\/p>\n

One golf course, the O\u2019Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs, was not included. The golf club is a DWA drinking water customer and the agency declined to release the data, citing an exemption in the Public Records Act for utility customer information.<\/p>\n

The water agencies released groundwater pumping information based on monthly billing of the \u201creplenishment assessment charge.\u201d The agencies collect the fees from all well owners that pump more than 25 acre-feet of groundwater per year. Any other well owners that use less are exempt and not included in the data. CVWD said some well owners that should be assessed the fee may not yet be enrolled and therefore would also be left out.<\/p>\n

Banking on the Colorado: Valley relies on fading river<\/p>\n

Rebates for golf courses to remove grass<\/p>\n

The Coachella Valley Water District has provided rebates to cover a portion of the costs for golf courses to remove up to 7 acres of grass and convert those areas to desert landscaping. Fourteen golf courses have received rebates totaling nearly $1 million in the past year and a half. The rebates were funded with a state grant.<\/p>\n

Avondale \u2013 $67,050<\/p>\n

Bermuda Dunes \u2013 $31,800<\/p>\n

Marrakesh Country Club \u2013 $62,500<\/p>\n

Cathedral City Country Club, Arroyo Course \u2013 $102,450<\/p>\n

Ironwood Country Club, North and South \u2013 $105,000<\/p>\n

Palm Desert Country Club, Championship \u2013 $210,000 (two separate rebates combined)<\/p>\n

Desert Princes Country Club, Cielo Vista Course \u2013 $105,000<\/p>\n

Golf Course at IW, East \u2013 $61,800<\/p>\n

La Quinta Resort and Club, Citrus Course \u2013 $15,000<\/p>\n

PGA West, Jack Nicklaus Tournament \u2013 $23,400<\/p>\n

Tri Palms Estate \u2013 $34,200<\/p>\n

PGA West, TPC Stadium \u2013 $30,300<\/p>\n

Shadow Mountain Golf Club \u2013 $55,200<\/p>\n

Palm Desert Resort CC \u2013 $91,350<\/p>\n

Source: Coachella Valley Water District<\/p>\n

Learning from Sin City: How Las Vegas saves so much water<\/p>\n

Water agencies\u2019 conservation performance in June<\/p>\n

Water supplier\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 June 2016\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 June 2015-June 2016<\/p>\n

City of Coachella\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23%<\/p>\n

City of Indio\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 26%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23%<\/p>\n

Coachella Valley Water District\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 23.3%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 25.3%<\/p>\n

Desert Water Agency\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 33.3%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 27.5%<\/p>\n

Mission Springs Water District\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 12%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 18.5%<\/p>\n

Myoma Dunes Water Company\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 N\/A\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 N\/A<\/p>\n

Note: The Coachella Valley\u2019s drinking water suppliers submitted these monthly conservation figures to California\u2019s State Water Resources Control Board. The percentages are based on monthly comparisons with the baseline year of 2013. The right column shows cumulative percentages for the past 13 months.<\/p>\n

California in overdraft<\/p>\n

Losing snow in a changing climate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"July 20, 2016Updated July 26, 2016, 12:39 p.m. PT During the past year of drought, while many Californians…","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_volume":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[183,165,166,8637,3389,105,3001,6108,9877,101],"class_list":["post-19094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-accessmetered","tag-california","tag-california-golf","tag-sstsnewsenvironment","tag-tagcalifornia-drought","tag-taggolf","tag-tagjack-nicklaus","tag-tagjerry-brown","tag-tagwater-in-the-desert","tag-typestory","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@fogolf\/117493774672501166","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}