Drought-hit California cutting water use by 10-35%

San Francisco

CALIFORNIA water officials were left reeling on Wednesday by the magnitude of the drought-related cutbacks they will have to make.

The State Water Resources Control Board issued preliminary recommendations late Tuesday for meeting Governor Jerry Brown's mandate of cutting water use in the state by 25 per cent, dividing communities into four tiers of water use. California's drought is so severe that of the 400 water agencies in the state, 135 will have to reduce water use by 35 per cent, the maximum amount, because they have the highest per capita water use. Eighteen agencies fall in the lowest reduction tier, 10 per cent.