County Water Districts' Conservation Levels Drop, New Data Shows

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - Water agencies throughout Riverside County saved less water in July compared to a year ago as they switched to lower conservation standards based on revised criteria supported by the state, according to figures released Wednesday.

Of 21 agencies reporting, only one -- the Blythe Water Department -- showed a higher rate of conservation in July compared to a year earlier -- 13.5 percent versus 11.9 percent in July 2015.

The numbers represent how much was saved compared to consumption in July 2013, the base year against which all measurements are compared under a formula established by the State Water Resources Control Board.

Most other water agencies countywide were more than 10 percentage points below their previous year-over-year savings. In a few cases, agencies were off by 15 or more percentage points.

The city of Coachella slashed consumption by 10.8 percent in July. But the municipality had cut water usage by 20.6 percent in July 2015 compared to the amount used during the same period two years earlier.

Similarly, the Rancho California Water District in Temecula cut consumption by 22.9 percent in July. However, in July of last year, the utility's savings amounted to 41.7 percent, measured against water usage in July 2013.

State officials had anticipated a drop-off in monthly water savings after hundreds of agencies statewide passed so-called "stress tests" earlier this summer. The tests aimed to gauge whether agencies could "bank" enough water to meet ongoing demand in the event of another three "dry years" with below average precipitation during California's rainy season.

Those agencies that demonstrated self-sufficiency were permitted to lower their monthly conservation targets, resulting in many cities, such as Riverside, eliminating previous restrictions on when and how residents conduct outdoor watering.

The new conservation standards will remain in place until February, when the State Water Resources Control Board may issue new mandates, depending on whether California's rainfall returns to seasonable levels.

"Having invested time and effort into conservation, many Californians and their communities continue to hit it out of the park," Water Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus said. "Others are still very much in the game, while a few communities seem to be leaving the ballpark entirely.

"We'll keep looking closely at the monthly results to determine if we need to step back in with demand-based or other higher conservation standards," she said. "But for now, Californians have continued to conserve, albeit at a lesser level, having stepped up mightily last year in the face of extreme conditions."

According to Marcus, statewide water savings totaled 20 percent in July, compared to 21.5 percent in June and 31.3 percent in July 2015 -- all of which was measured against consumption levels in the same months of 2013. The cumulative savings between June 2015 and July 2016 was 23.8 percent, or 1.89 million acre-feet -- 619 billion gallons -- of water.

In April 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order mandating a 25 percent reduction in state water use until Feb. 29 of this year. The statewide target fell just short, coming in at 23.9 percent.

Brown issued a revised order toward the end of winter that kept mandatory cuts in place, but with modified conservation targets that more closely reflected individual agencies' supply and demand realities.

The new self-determined targets came into being thanks to the stress tests.

Ordinances enacted by the water board 16 months ago are still valid, including restricting how some outdoor watering takes place, such as a prohibition against the hosing down of sidewalks, and limiting how some businesses use water.

– By PAUL J. YOUNG, City News Service / Image via Shutterstock.