When it comes to conserving water amid the historic drought, Californians are receiving an “F,” however, one Bay Area county is exceeding expectations.
Despite a call from Gov. Gavin Newsom for Californians to curb water usage by 15%, water customers in Southern California have only saved a measly 1.8%, the California Water Resources Control Board reported.
However, in August, Sonoma County residents flipped the script, cutting back on 22% of their water usage and breaking their conservation goal.
Small changes to lifestyle have been the key to water conservation, county residents told KCBS Radio. Some people have stopped watering their lawn while others have cut back on flushing the toilet. "I have a beautiful brown lawn. It feels ugly, but it’s ok," one woman told KCBS Radio.
Another resident shared his creative tip for easy water conservation. "We try to conserve in the shower," he said. "We put buckets in the shower and use that for plant water for the house plants."
Elise Howard, a spokeswoman for the city's Water Reuse department said part of the city’s impressive conservation effort is due to a large outreach campaign. "I make it clear that this is a serious drought and it’s really critical that we save water now because we don’t know what this winter is going to look like," she explained.
Overall the Bay Area has cut back water usage by 8%.
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