May 05--Californians cut their water consumption by 3.6% in March compared with the same period in 2013, the State Water Resources Control Board reported Tuesday.
The cut in water use represented a slight improvement from a dismal 2.8% figure for February, but is still far short of the statewide 25% mandatory water-use reduction required by Gov. Jerry Brown's April 1 executive order.
The board reported that cumulative water savings since last summer totaled only 8.6%.
"We need to do more," water board staff scientist Max Gomberg said.
The board is expected to finalize and adopt emergency regulations at a hearing later Tuesday to ensure that California meets Brown's demand.
Gomberg said that 80% of residential use during summer months is outdoors, representing one of the biggest opportunities for cutbacks.
In addition, 70% of water supplied by agencies is for residential use.
"It's really just about reducing the amount of time irrigation is going on," he said.
Residents need to check for leaks, water less often or rip up their lawns. Sometimes they'll need to make tough decisions about what plants they want to keep alive and which ones they'll let die.
Indoors, Californians need to replace older, less efficient toilets and washing machines.
Gomberg said the state would support these transitions.
"We're building those programs up," he said. "More appliance rebates. More turf removal rebates."
Gomberg also said the state would keep a close eye on local water agencies. If they're far behind their targets after the first month, a meeting will be held to review the numbers and conservation programs. For example, the agency may need more public outreach, or more stringent standards on residential watering.
Gomberg said the conservation rules could cost water agencies $500 million in lost revenue over nine months. That cost could be passed on to residents and businesses in the form of higher rates.
The board's plan to achieve those cuts has come under fire from water agencies, interest groups and members of the public who have complained about its equity and fairness.
Under the current framework, cities and towns that use the most water per capita must cut the most, and areas that already use relatively little water will have to cut much less. The state's more than 400 urban water agencies have been placed in tiers requiring reductions in water use of 8% to 36%.
For example, Beverly Hills and Bakersfield must slash their water consumption by 36% over the next year because their residents used an average of more than 215 gallons of water per day last summer. Santa Cruz residents used only about 45 gallons a day during the same period and would have to cut their consumption by only 8% under the state board's proposal.
State regulators have already revised the plan twice and will be considering making additional changes Tuesday after hearing comments from the public.
In documents posted online during the latest revision, officials specifically asked for feedback on whether to double the number of tiers with smaller gaps between reduction targets.
Gomberg said he also expected the board to receive many comments about an exception related to commercial agriculture.
Responding to criticism from urban water districts that deliver much of their water to farms, the board tweaked the regulations to allow suppliers to request placement in a lower conservation tier if more than 20% of their water is used for commercial agriculture. Suppliers that meet the criteria could subtract the amount of water going to the sector from its total and potentially lessen the conservation burden placed on their residential customers.
"The question is what's reasonable," Gomberg said.
After Californians cut their water usage by 22% in December, conservation levels flagged to 8% in January and only 2.8% in February.
The board could adopt the new regulations late Tuesday or delay action until Wednesday if there are many public comments or several substantive changes the board wishes to make.
In documents released last week, officials estimated that the cost of implementing the proposed regulations at $511 million. The estimate is made up primarily of revenue lost by public water agencies, which will sell less water as customers cut back.
Marc Marcantonio, general manager of the Yorba Linda water district, said during Tuesday's meeting that conservation rules could make it harder to battle wildfires.
"The risk of wildfire ... is higher than ever," he said.
He said the district has been stocking up water to protect the city, adding about 10 gallons of water use per capita.
Jennifer Hansen, public services director in Lincoln, said the town may struggle to hit its assigned 36% target cut. She expects the town will need to limit watering to once a week.
"We'll be seeing brown lawns. We'll be seeing lots of vegetation dying."
Said board chair Felicia Marcus: "I know this is going to be hard.... This is a challenging time."
UPDATES
1:32 p.m.: This post was updated with additional public comments.
12:36 p.m.: This post was updated with additional comments from state water board scientist Max Gomberg.
10:30 a.m.: This post was updated to include March water conservation figures.
This story was first posted at 6:30 a.m.
