Water Use at Governor’s Home Triples as Lawn Care Is Resumed

Gov. Pete Wilson’s home water use more than tripled last month because he resumed watering his lawn, according to water district records.

Records of the Arcade Water District show Wilson used 175 gallons a day in May, but 650 gallons a day in June, more than twice the 300-gallon-a-day drought allotment that Wilson has recommended for Californians.

Wilson’s house, purchased for Gov. George Deukmejian by a group of supporters, is equipped with a water meter, unlike most homes in Sacramento.

In February, the governor was urging Californians to conserve water when he learned that his house was using more than 1,100 gallons a day.

He ordered conservation measures, and the meter reading from mid-April showed the governor had cut consumption to 225 gallons a day. Through the middle of May, Wilson averaged 175 gallons a day.

But the meter reading from the middle of May to the middle of June showed 650 gallons per day consumed at the home.

Bill Livingstone, Wilson’s press secretary, said that water use rose after a decision was made to resume a minimal amount of landscape watering.

“The home isn’t owned by the governor, and if the lawn died, the taxpayers would have had to replace it,” Livingstone said.