NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Newport Beach has taken steps to curb water use as California’s drought drags on, straining local and state supplies.

The city council issued a level-2 water supply shortage this week, which means residents cannot use water from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to limit evaporation. Timers for landscape sprinklers must also be set for 10 minutes at a time.

Mark Vukojevic, utilities director for Newport Beach, said there isn’t one single solution, but a series of them that includes education, diversified water sources and conservation. The city has also invested in technologies and staff who can fix water leaks 24 hours a day, seven days a week.     

“We put in this huge investment with water meters, and I’m absolutely amazed at the amount of leaks we’ve discovered that people don’t know about,” he said. 

Vukojevic added that the city is down about 7% of its water usage from last year, and it could be down as much as 15% by mid-summer.

But fears over water supplies will persist as long as water levels remain low in the Colorado River, the chief supply for California and its neighboring states. 

Conservation will be the key no matter how much rainfall reserves see in the coming months.

“A broken water sprinkler shooting up in the air in just a few minutes can use as much water as it would in a whole day or several days,” said Vukojevic.

Climate change has steadily shrunk fresh water supplies as sea levels rise. Vukojevic noted that the city uses about 25% less water than it did 20 years ago. And now, it’s relying on groundwater from the Orange County Water District.

Whether more rationing is on the way is unclear. Vukovic said he can’t tell the future.

“But if we don’t get additional rainfall in the rest of the state this year, we’re going to need to do additional tightening.”