L.A. County Residents Tighten the Tap

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers reduced their water use by 15.5 percent in June, compared to the same month two years ago, falling just shy of the agency’s 16 percent conservation mandate set by the state, according to figures released Thursday.

According to the State Water Resources Control Board, customers across the Southland largely succeeded in cutting their water use as the state works to combat a lingering drought.

Santa Monica residents cut their water use 22 percent from the same month in 2013, the baseline year being used by the state to measure conservation. Pico Rivera cut by 23.4 percent, Long Beach slashed its use by 19.4 percent, Seal Beach cut by 21.9 percent and Inglewood reduced by 21.3 percent.

The one sour note in the Southland was El Monte, which showed a 14.7 percent increase in water use, according to the state.

State officials singled out for praise the Antelope Valley Waterworks District, which had a 42 percent reduction in June, doubling its May figure of 22 percent. The state also gave kudos to the San Gabriel Valley Water Co., which reduced water use by 35 percent, and the Yorba Linda Water District, which had a 38 percent reduction.

Overall, Californians reduced water consumption by 27.3 percent over June 2013, beating Gov. Jerry Brown’s statewide goal of 25 percent.

“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action, as shown by the numbers released today,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board.

“We didn’t know if the positive showing in May was due in part to cooler temperatures,” Marcus said. “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.”

The agency said the drop came despite the month being the warmest June on record.

-City News Service