California water conservation efforts are worsening and some water managers are blaming "disaster fatigue" for the state's abysmal conservation numbers.
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Last summer Governor Newsom called on all Californians to cut their water use by at least 15%. Niema Quiet has been doing her part to conserve water and told KCBS Radio that she has been washing some of her clothes by hand.
"As a kid we didn't even have washers and dryers so I look at it like that," Quiet said. "I had to wash all my clothes by hand a lot."
She is doing her part by watering the lawn at night and doing less laundry by combining her families loads together.
"I used to take baths all the time I don't anymore so I just take a quicker shower," she said. "I have to fight with my son to take a shower period so your welcome California."
Gary Kremen, Chair of Valley Water in Santa Clara County said people may have gotten complacent after all of the rain and snow we had at the end of last year.
"People think oh it rains once or twice it's kind of like people who think working out once or twice means they are in shape," he said.
But overall California residents have only cut their water use by 6.4% and even used more water in January compared to 2020. Kremen blames "disaster fatigue," between the war in Ukraine, inflation, COVID-19 people can only handle so many crises at a time.
"People can only hold one crisis or two crises' in their mind at a time, and I think that's the problem we are having," he explained.
If the drought continues, the state's voluntary cutbacks may become mandatory, with fines for excessive water users.
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