Water saving efforts slipped in April, after drought ended

Published Jun 6, 2017 4:40 PM

SAN BERNARDINO, CA - MAY 15: The east branch of the California Aqueduct, which imports water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, crosses the San Andreas Rift Zone, the system of depressions in the ground between the parallel faults of the San Andreas earthquake fault, on May 15, 2008 near San Bernardino, California. New calculations reveal a 99.7 percent chance that a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike by 2037, according to the first-ever statewide temblor forecast released by the scientists of the United States Geological (USGS), Southern California Earthquake Center and California Geological Survey last month. Scientists have particular concern for the people living along the southern portion of the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault east of Los Angeles. This section of the fault has had very little slippage for more than 300 years and has built up immense pressure that could release an earthquake of historic proportions at any time. Such a quake could produce a sudden lateral movement of 23 to 32 feet and be would be among the largest ever recorded. Experts have predicted that a quake of magnitude-7.6 or greater on the southern San Andreas would kill thousands of people and cause many billions of dollars in damages, dwarfing the 1994 Northridge disaster near Los Angeles that killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Californians used more water this April than they did in April 2016, according to state data, and that jump in water use came thanks to residents of Southern California. The numbers were released Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board, which requires urban water districts across the state to report on local water use.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to the state' drought emergency in April, following a wet winter across California. That included lifting the mandatory water conservation limits imposed by the state. The new data represents the first look at water use by Californians after the five-year drought.

In much of the state, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Central Coast areas, residents used less water in April than in the year before.

INTERACTIVE: Explore water use across California in KPCC's water use tool

Support for LAist comes from

Become a sponsor

Not in Southern California. In the South Coast region, per capita water use was 86 gallons per day. That's a jump from 77 gallons a day the previous year. In the Colorado River area, which includes inland parts of Southern California, daily use jumped to 163 gallons per day, from 127 the previous year.

At a State Water Resources Control Board meeting this morning, state scientist Jelena Hartman said the uptick in use may be due to a relatively dry and warm April in Southern California.

Officials will keep a close eye on Californians' water use during the summer months, which will test whether or not conservation has become a way of life in the state, as officials hope. With California's climate changing, scientists say future droughts could strike more often and be more severe — making conservation a perennial issue.