For the first time during the state's four-year drought, California Gov. Jerry Brown has issued mandatory water restrictions for state residents, businesses and farms, ordering a 25% reduction in water use. That cut would amount to a savings of approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water during the next nine months.
The mandated reduction in water use does not apply to the agriculture industry, except for the requirement that it report more information on its groundwater use. Agriculture uses about 80% of California's developed water supply.