L.A. Residents Chalk Up 15% Water Savings in June

Los Angeles residents voluntarily cut their water use by more than 15% in June, far exceeding the level of conservation sought by Mayor Tom Bradley and leading at least one official to question the need for mandatory rationing.

June marked the third consecutive month that residents conserved more than the 10% the mayor had called for in response to the drought. Water use dropped 12.2% in April, 11.7% in May and 15.5% last month, compared to the same months in the 1986 base year, according to the city Department of Water and Power.

“More and more people are getting the message to conserve,” Bradley said in a prepared statement Friday. “The trend is clear. Since my call for (mandatory) water conservation, many residents and businesses have responded. There’s little question that more and more people are finding out how easy it is to save 10% of the water they are accustomed to using.”

Despite the strong voluntary effort, Bradley insisted that the need for mandatory rationing “has never been greater.”

The rationing program will come before the City Council on Tuesday, but at least one influential council member is threatening to derail the proposal.

Councilman Richard Alatorre said Friday, “Nobody likes the idea of rationing. The people rose to the occasion. Given the opportunity to comply (voluntarily), they did.”

Alatorre said the latest conservation figures “demonstrate that the people can conserve water. We don’t need (rationing) as long as people can demonstrate the ability to do it voluntarily.”

The councilman said that he will use the new figures to argue against the need for rationing when the council debates Bradley’s proposal.

Last week, when the council approved the measure in concept on a 10-4 vote, Alatorre had prepared a motion that would block mandatory rationing as long as city residents collectively cut back at least 10% on their water use voluntarily. But Alatorre pulled his motion at the last minute, when it was apparent that he did not have the necessary votes.

On Friday, Alatorre said “I still have the motion,” and indicated that it could be submitted for consideration on Tuesday.