Water use by Angelenos fell this summer from last year’s levels, LADWP officials reported Friday.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s 680,000 customers used 8.8 percent less water in August than in the same month last year, and 4.4 percent less water in July than the same in 2013.
The reductions occurred as Los Angeles experienced unusually hot weather, with the temperature this year four degrees warmer than the city’s long-term average, and seven degrees hotter than is typical in May.
LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards thanked customers, saying “seeing these savings in the middle of summer during a drought is telling of L.A. residents’ commitment to water conservation.”
Martin Adams, the senior assistant general manager of the water system said “every drop of water we have been saving is valuable, especially until we see what relief this winter brings to the State’s dwindling water supplies.”
“It is important that we all continue to follow the water conservation ordinance and watch our water use closely during this drought,” he said.
The city has a conservation ordinance in place that includes urging customers to use less water, restricting outdoor watering to three times a week and barring water wasting.
The utility recently added the Water Conservation Response Unit to its enforcement staff, which has done an estimated 4,600 investigations since January.
The public can report water waste by emailing inspectors at waterwaste@ladwp.com, calling 1-800-dial-DWP, or using the MyLA311 phone app.
— City News Service