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California water usage decreased by 29 percent in May

By Danielle Haynes
A sign in the the front yard of a home in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles urges conserving water on April 2. The state saw a 28.9 percent reduction in water usage in May. File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
A sign in the the front yard of a home in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles urges conserving water on April 2. The state saw a 28.9 percent reduction in water usage in May. File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

SACRAMENTO, July 1 (UPI) -- Californians reduced their water usage by a 28.9 percent in May compared to two years prior, the state's water board announced Wednesday.

California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order in April to reduce water usage across the state by 25 percent, and residents took his challenge seriously. His order was to combat severe drought which has crippled the state for more than four years.

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Water savings more than doubled from April to May, the California Water Boards said. Water usage was down 13.6 percent in April compared to 2013. The number jumped up to 28.9 percent in May.

California uses 2013 as a baseline for determining water savings statewide.

"The numbers tell us that more Californians are stepping up to help make their communities more water secure, which is welcome news in the face of this dire drought," said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. "That said, we need all Californians to step up -- and keep it up -- as if we don't know when it will rain and snow again, because we don't. If the drought continues beyond this year, we'll all be glad we did."

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Riverside and San Mateo counties each saw a whopping 49 percent reduction in water usage in May.

"It is clear from this report that many communities have made a commitment as Californians to scale back outdoor watering and conserve -- and the effort shows," Marcus said. "The hot summer months are here. Californians are creative. We can fix the leaks, let the lawn go brown, and take shorter showers while using just enough water to save trees and prevent disease."

The average Californian used 87.5 gallons of water per day in May, down from 90.5 gallons in April. Additionally, about 237.3 billion gallons of water were saved between June 2014 and May 2015 compared to the same time period for one year prior.

Meanwhile, the water board reported 28,555 water waste complaints were made in May and 36,159 formal warnings were issued. Additionally, 1,786 penalties were issued.

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