Metro Bakersfield water districts face full 35 percent reductions

SACRAMENTO -- California's cities and towns would be required to cut their water usage by up to 35 percent or face steep fines under proposed new rules released Tuesday, the state's first-ever mandatory cutbacks in urban water use amid ongoing drought. All water districts serving metro Bakersfield are slated to face the full 35 percent reductions, according to a still-developing conservation plan posted on the State Water Resources Control Board website at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.