LOS ANGELES (KNX) – In 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked residents to voluntarily cut water usage by 15%; however, an analysis by the Los Angeles Times found that residents fell short.
State residents were able to cut back around 7%, while Los Angeles residents cut back by 5%.
Caitlin Peterson, an associate director and research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, told KNX News she thinks residents still made progress considering the cutbacks from the previous drought.
“We actually cut back a lot on water use and then a little less than two years later, we had another drought and we're asked to cut back again,” she said. “So I think the fact that we were able to get, you know, seven to 9 % depending on where you're looking at is actually not that bad.”
Felicia Marcus, former chairperson of the state Water Resources Control Board, said residents need to do more to conserve water.
“We absolutely have to double down on efficiency and conservation, not just taking shorter showers and letting our lawns go brown, but in replacing our lawns, replacing our fixtures when we can afford it,” she told KNX News.
It comes a few weeks after Newsom joined Nevada and Arizona’s governors in announcing a plan that would reduce water usage from the Colorado River over the next three years.
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