Statewide Water Conservation Drops Below 18 Percent, as Pasadena Moves to One-Day-Per-Week Only Watering on Nov. 1

California’s monthly water conservation has declined to 17.7 percent in August, down from a 27 percent savings in August last year, a report from the State Water Resources Control Board said Thursday. The report raises concerns that some water suppliers are abandoning their focus on conservation as California heads into a possible sixth drought year.

Before Pasadena’s Water Savings Gauge was retired in June, the City’s conservation was at 26 percent. Its original state-mandated conservation target was 28 percent.

On November 1, the City of Pasadena continues its vigorous water conservation campaign by implementing its Level 2 Shortage Plan which reduces watering to only one day per week, on Saturdays, through Mar. 31.
The plan also prohibits watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., requires water leaks to be fixed within 48 hours, and prohibits the filling of ornamental lakes and ponds.
Overall, Californians continue to conserve water in significant amounts even in the absence of state-mandated conservation targets. The cumulative average savings from June 2015 through August 2016 was 23.3 percent, compared with the same months in 2013.

Among local suppliers, water conservation has dropped significantly, the SWRCB said, highlighting the need for continued education and dialogue with customers about the importance of conserving and using water as efficiently as possible.

“The statewide August conservation results raise questions, and we are examining the data to understand why some areas slipped more than others,” said SWRCB Chair Felicia Marcus. “Are we seeing relaxation of conservation messaging and programs, or are we seeing abandonment of programs? One may be appropriate, the other is not. It’s a mixed picture. Many communities who certified that they didn’t ‘need’ to conserve are still conserving up a storm, while others have slipped more than seems prudent.”
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SWRCB Chair Marcus said water suppliers and consumers in the state should continue to retain conservation habits for the long term, rain or shine, drought or no drought.

“While last year’s rain and snow brought a respite for urban California, we are still in drought, and we can’t know what this winter will bring,” Marcus said. “What we do know is that climate change will continue to make our water years even more unpredictable.”