WATER WATCH : Savings Plan

Hey, Southern California--Congratulations! Average water use throughout the region has dropped significantly, thanks to you.

In the last couple of months, ever since it became clear that we’re well into a fourth year of a drought, voluntary conservation efforts slashed consumption to an impressive 15.5% below standard levels in Los Angeles and to 15.8% below in San Diego. Orange County, less pinched because of an underground reservoir, reduced its water use by an average 8%.

The Metropolitan Water District this year told Southern California communities that a 10% savings is needed over the short run to compensate for predicted shortfalls in water.

How did we do it?

In some communities, bans on hosing down driveways and daytime lawn watering have helped water districts stave off the forced rationing they feared would become necessary. Only a few districts, such as Santa Barbara, have instituted rationing.

Many more have chosen to keep the issue of conservation alive by making customer cutbacks mandatory. Los Angeles is considering just that course of action now, but opponents of Mayor Tom Bradley’s mandatory conservation measure are pointing to the success of the voluntary program to justify their opposition.

That’s shortsighted: The area’s water shortage is a long-term problem. Voluntary conservation can help. But in some areas of the state it won’t be enough.