California’s water use fell by 27 percent in June

The state water board released water conservation numbers this morning for June, the first under the mandatory statewide 25-percent reduction in water use ordered by Governor Jerry Brown.

A willingness to take action was demonstrated in the 27.3 percent drop in water usage in June compared with the same month in 2013.

The heightened conservation came during the hottest June on record in conditions that would normally lead to an uptick in water use.

“Everyone needs to save water, and this is one effective way alert residents can help everyone – and every community – save water during this historic drought”, State Water Resources Control Board Chair Felicia Marcus said in a July 30 statement. “We are all in this together, and we want Californians to understand how the drought is affecting small family farms and the food supply by providing reliable, consistent information”.

Homes and businesses served by the Desert Water Agency cut their water use 40%, exceeding their 36% target.

California’s largest cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, previously released figures for June showing strong water conservation. But, she added, “I guarantee you if folks don’t step up, we will go to the fine stage”.

“We don’t need to lose trees if we act early and make sure that people are watering them all along”, she said.

In the meantime, Max Gomberg, a climate and conservation manager for the state water board, said that state officials will meet with the worst-performing cities and water districts in the coming weeks and issue legally binding orders for them to meet their targets.

But Ted Sheely, a farmer in California, wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that argued the statistic is a “fabrication of environmentalists who want to disguise that they use even more water than farmers”. While the bulk of those deaths occurred outside urban areas, conservationists and officials are now focusing on cities, where mandated water reductions are becoming visible in drying limbs and scorched leaves.

Many that objected managed to reach their targets anyway, including San Diego which saved 24 per cent in June.

“I’d say that the majority of it is citizens cutting back”, he said. June’s enforcement statistics highlight the growing awareness of how water is used locally as a result of these programs.

There’s a sign of hope on the horizon: the development of a powerful El Niño that could deliver life-giving storms to the region.

To curb additional losses, Rooney says farmers continue to do their part by increasing efficiency as they’ve done for years. Contact him at 408-920-5045.