Calif. cities miss January conservation targets
By Phillip Reese and Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
California residents broadly missed water conservation targets in January, and the state now has fallen behind the June through February conservation level mandated by Gov. Jerry Brown, the State Water Resources Control Board said Thursday.
The state’s urban water districts cut use by 17 percent in January as compared to the same month in 2013, marking the worst performance since mandated cuts began last June. In December, residents managed an 18 percent savings.
Following years of drought, Brown last year ordered communities statewide to cut water use between June 2015 and February 2016 by an average of 25 percent compared to 2013. Through January, the state has cut use by 24.8 percent.