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ter lagging during the first part of the year, water conservation in California improved significantly in April following Gov. Jerry Brown�s historic order requiring big cuts in water use amid the worsening drought. Water use in April dropped 13.5%, compared with the same month in 2013, a sign that residents and urban water suppliers were taking Brown�s dire conservation calls seriously. Despite the improvement, the state has a long way to go to meet the 25% cut Brown ordered on April 1. Over the last 11 months, Californians cut water use cumulatively by only 9%. Mark Gold, acting director of UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, said the reduction in April was impressive, especially after what he called �absolutely embarrassing� conservation efforts earlier this year. Californians cut water use by only 2.6% in February and 3.9% in March versus the same months in 2013. Texas storms may signal drought-busting El Nino Because April was relatively warm and dry, Gold said, much of the water savings likely resulted from reduced use in response to Brown�s order, new conservation regulations from the water board and more media attention to the drought, rather than favorable weather. State officials said the improvement shows that residents, businesses and water suppliers are responding to Gov. Brown�s mandate. The board spent much of April developing a plan to implement Brown�s water-saving order and boost conservation. �Local communities are stepping up in a way they weren�t before, and I�m hoping that that�s why we�re starting to see the uptick,� said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board, which reported the conservation data Tuesday. The decline in water use comes as officials across the state are scrambling to implement watering restrictions ahead of the hot, dry summer months. The water board�s plan, approved last month, assigns conservation targets to each of the state�s water suppliers and requires cuts in consumption ranging from 8% to 36% compared with 2013 levels. The targets, based on residential per capita use in July, August and September of 2014, require cities and water districts with the lowest consumption during that period to cut the least. Heavy users must cut the most. | ||||||||||||||||
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2015/06/03
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