While water use statewide dipped by 13.5 percent in April compared to the same month in 2013, select communities in the Southland and elsewhere actually showed increases in water use, despite persistent calls for conservation, according to figures released Tuesday.
According to the State Water Resources Control Board, the vast majority of California and Southland communities reduced their water use by various amounts. In El Segundo, however, water use spiked upward by 35 percent, according to the state.
In Norwalk, water use increased by 21 percent, while use jumped by 5 percent in Pico Rivera and 2 percent in Paramount.
Overall, however, Southland cities appeared to be answering the call for reducing water, although still short of the 25 percent reduction goal set by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Seal Beach, Santa Ana and Huntington Park showed 8 percent reductions, while Inglewood residents reduced by 15 percent and Long Beach by 6 percent. La Habra reduced by 18 percent and Culver City by 11 percent. Azusa’s water use was down 16 percent, while Lakewood showed a 17 percent reduction.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had a 10 percent drop.
“While these results are a step in the right direction, there are still too many lush landscapes where irrigation must be reduced to meet the 25 percent statewide reduction mandate,” State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus said. “We see conservation gains in all regions of the state, but we don’t know whether it was because of cooler weather or concerted action.
“In particular, the South Coast demonstrated significant improvement, but the real test will be what happens as we move into the hot and dry summer months, when we need to keep the sprinklers off as much as possible,” Marcus said.
— City News Service