Despite The Heat, Squeezing Water Savings
Sacramento, CA — Even with June’s record-breaking heat across much of the Golden state, residents reduced water use by over 27 percent; even more so in the Mother Lode.
Today’s monthly water board conservation savings figures indicate that, in the first reporting month since Governor Jerry Brown’s 25 percent mandate went into effect, Californians saved six times the amount they did during the same month last year under a voluntary 20 percent conservation goal. Almost 40 percent of the reporting urban water suppliers indicate they reduced water use by 30 percent or more.
Locally, the report states that Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD), which has been assigned a 24 percent conservation standard, squeezed 28.6 percent savings this June over the same period for the 2013 benchmark year. However, T.U.D. officials tell Clarke Broadcasting that the number is actually 41%. The district contacted the state this morning in hopes of making the correction.
Groveland Community Services District (GCSD), needing 24% conservation, showed an impressive 42.6 percent improvement. The Calaveras County Water District (CCWD), which must meet a 16 percent standard, racked 39.6 percent in water savings for the month of June.
“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action, as shown by the numbers released today,” says Felicia Marcus, state water board chair. Significantly, she adds, “This report shows that residents knew they had to keep conserving, even during the summer heat, and they kept the sprinklers off more than they would in a normal year. That’s the right attitude as we head into August and September heat — in the drought of the century with no certain end date.”
The improvement was also attributed to suppliers’ customer education and outreach efforts as well as compliance and enforcement programs, which experienced almost a two-fold increase in the number of water waste complaints and reported subsequent penalties.
