A wet end to 2014 contributed to high December water conservation rates for California. From Sacramento, Katie Orr reports on new numbers out Tuesday.
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California’s urban water conservation rate reached 22 percent in December, exceeding the 20 percent conservation goal set by Governor Jerry Brown. Heavy rain led to reduced outdoor watering. But the State Water Board’s Katheryn Landau says nature isn’t the only explanation for the savings.
Landau: “It also indicates that the water conservation efforts that we’ve taken, such as turning off the outdoor sprinklers, not over watering our lawns and etc, are having a really positive impact on our conservation efforts.”
The water board reports daily water use is also declining statewide. In December the average person used about 67 gallons of water per day. That’s down from about 89 gallons in November.
At the state Capitol, I’m Katie Orr.
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This story was produced by Capital Public Radio