Californians Cut Water Use In September, But Some Fines Issued
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Figures released on Friday show residents have exceeded the water conservation mandate set by Gov. Jerry Brown for the month of September.
In April, Gov. Brown originally called for an overall 25 percent drop in statewide water use.
Statewide, residents have cut water use by 26.1 percent.
Here is Southern California, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers cut usage by 21.8 percent in September, compared to the same month in 2013.
However, some cities within Southern California fell short of their goals, which brought on hefty fines.
On Thursday, the State Water Resources Contol Board Office of Enforcement issued actions against four urban water suppliers that consistently failed to meet their goals.
The cities of Beverly Hills, Indio, Redlands and the Coachella Valley Water District were assessed a $61,000 fine.
Authorities explained suppliers have 20 days to appeal the penalties to the full State Water Board.
"Millions of Californians have saved water during the summer months, which are the four most critical months to save water," said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. "This is important and wonderful. We are thankful for all of the effort by individuals and agencies."
"Now, we need to keep it up as best we can even as we hope for as much rain and snow as we can safely handle," Marcus added. "We're in the position of having to prepare for drought and flooding at the same time, but that's what we're faced with."
September's results come amid the fourth month in a row that residents have reached their goals.
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