California says water use fell by 27 percent in June

California’s unprecedented system of mandatory conservation imposed on cities got off to a strong start with water use plunging 27 percent in June, regulators said Thursday.

Information released by the State Water Resources Control Board showed 265 of 411 local agencies in California hit or nearly reached savings targets.

The governor ordered cities to reduce water use 25 percent to prepare in case California’s four-year drought persists.

The savings came during the hottest June on record, which would normally lead to an uptick in water use. Previous savings have occurred during unusually wet months

“The June numbers tell a story of conscious conservation, and that’s what we need and are applauding today,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the water board. “We need to save as much as possible. That is water essentially in the bank for a future dry year or more.”

The report confirmed figures previously released by California’s largest cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco, showing strong water conservation. The agencies that met or came within 1 percent of their mandatory water conservation target serve 27 million Californians.

Under water board regulations for mandatory water savings, communities have nine months to hit assigned conservation targets as high as 36 percent. Water savings are compared to 2013, the year before Brown declared a drought emergency, and are for drinkable water.

Some agencies opposed the targets, saying they were unfair and unrealistic and didn’t give enough credit for past conservation efforts. Many that objected managed to reach their targets anyway, including San Diego, which saved 24 percent in June. Robyn Bullard, a spokeswoman for the public utilities department, credited widespread messaging that included an email blast to customers and television commercials.

Summer is peak water use season, and strong residential conservation could continue through July because of record rainfall in Southern California.

The water board says it will contact every agency that didn’t come close to its targets and ask for more information about what it’s doing to conserve.

The worst performers, which include the water districts serving wealthy areas in the desert’s Coachella Valley and Temecula in Riverside County, will be told to ramp up water waste enforcement or limit days that residents can water lawns. Regulators have the power to impose fines on agencies that consistently miss targets, but they say that’s a last resort.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 6:43 PM with the headline "California says water use fell by 27 percent in June."