(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles, the nation’s second-biggest city of 4 million, is ordering residents to water their lawns no more than two days a week from three, as a drought tightens its grip on California.

The proposed rule for customers of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power requires approval from the city council. It would go into effect June 1, according to an emailed statement Tuesday.

“If we want our children and grandchildren to be able to turn to the tap with confidence, we need to double down on the solutions that have made conservation a way of life in LA,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in the statement.

Across the state, governments are taking similar measures to cope with potential water shortages. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a state-established cooperative that provides water for 19 million people in six counties, said last month that a third of area residents face new restrictions limiting outdoor watering to one day a week.

Thanks to conservation measures beginning in the 1970s, LA uses less water per capita than it did 50 years ago, with consumption having declined more than 40%.

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