Los Angeles, California - Climate change is already changing how we live, and for anyone in Southern California, that means parched lawns, stingy watering, and hoping the drought isn't too rough. Spoiler alert: it's gonna be pretty rough.

The State Water Project (SWP), which is the organization that manages the gushing wetness for 27 million people in and around Los Angeles, declared a water shortage emergency and will only allow one day per week of waterworks to deal with the ongoing mega-drought, says the Guardian.

Water users who go overboard between June and September will get hit with a $2,000 fine, because the SWP says there just isn't enough water to go around for all those manicured lawns.

Even though any plant owner worth their green thumb might feel like having one day of watering a week is punishment for their leafy babies, the move is supposed to help people in the long term.

But the call to limit water use is the only option left in the face of a third year of the mega-drought drying out the US southwest.

One reason the drought got so bad is that snowpack is way below its usual levels, and since that snow helps to top up reservoirs and groundwater reserves, having 35% less of it this year will turn the summer months into another scorch-fest.

Two major factors behind the low snowfall and intense heat are climate change and water mismanagement, which come together to make it hard for California and nearby states to stay ahead of the dryness.

If the drought worsens, the SWP also said it would extend the watering ban through next year to help reserves recover.

It might be time to rethink how much water gets used to keep a lawn looking zesty fresh in an area that is basically a desert.