State water use stays down

Californians have apparently gotten the message about the drought.

State residents cut their water use by 27.3 percent in June compared with the same month in 2013, according to data released Thursday by the State Water Resources Control Board.

That was the second consecutive month the state has exceeded the 25 percent reduction goal set by Gov. Jerry Brown with an executive order earlier this year.

In May, the state reduced its water use by 29 percent compared with May 2013.

Overall, the state saved slightly more than 182,000 acre-feet of water during June, despite it being the hottest June on record. The state’s goal is to save 1.2 million acre-feet by February 2016, according to the board.

Because May was unusually cool, state water officials were not sure whether the substantial cut in water use that month – the first month the 25 percent benchmark was in place – was because of the cooler temperatures or because people were really trying to save water.

The June numbers would suggest the latter, said Felicia Marcus, chair of the water resources control board.

“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action,” Marcus said in a statement. “This report shows that residents knew they had to keep conserving even during the summer heat, and they kept their sprinklers off more than they would in a normal year.”