Water Use Drops Statewide

Californians reduced their water use by 26.1 percent in April compared with April 2013, earning praise from state water officials for again exceeding the state’s water reduction goals.

But that praise came with a warning: the drought is not over, and water suppliers will again face restrictions if they don’t continue to conserve water, the state Water Resources Control Board stated in its monthly report on water use, which was released Monday.

“Californians continue to demonstrate that they are serious about water conservation, which is fabulous,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus said in a statement. “We will be watching closely to make sure that water agencies continue to prioritize the conservation habits their customers have adopted, and don’t fall back into business as usual.

“In particular, we expect them to continue to enforce bans on the worst types of wasteful water use, and to take a prudent approach with their water budgets.”

California residents saved 43.7 billion gallons of water during April, and personal water usage was cut from 104 gallons in April 2013 to 77 gallons in April of this year, a per-person reduction of 27 gallons, the report stated.

In May, the board ended emergency drought restrictions that required suppliers to cut their water use by 25 percent throughout the state.

“People have taken to heart the message that they have to cut back on their water use,” said Timothy Moran, board spokesman. “Those numbers should improve in the summer, because a lot of summer water use is for outdoor landscaping, and that’s easier to cut back.”

Several Inland Empire water supplier posted solid reduction numbers in April. The Western Municipal Water District of Riverside cut its water consumption by nearly 33 percent compared with April 2013, while the Victorville Water District reduced its use by just over 29 percent during that time, according to the report.