File photo.
The Long Beach Water Department announced today that that residents and businesses have exceeded the 16 percent water conservation mandate for the city, set by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), by an additional three percent. This makes the second consecutive month that Long Beach has exceeded said mandate.
The city used approximately 4,540 acre-feet of water in July, following last month’s water usage record, which was the lowest since 1955. According to the department, July 2015 water use is also down 19 percent compared to 2013.
“Long Beach continuously proves that we are a statewide leader,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “We all need to work together to keep conserving water as much as we can.”
Harry Saltzgaver, president of the Board of Water Commissioners, however, encouraged residents and business owners to keep it up, relaying that these recent commendable reports are not a reason to relax on the conservation front.
“Long Beach still has a ways to go until February 2016 to beat the state mandate,” he said in a statement. “We cannot lose the momentum of our strong conservation efforts.”
Long Beach Water’s “Mission H2OLB” conservation campaign has been launched via print and digital media to help residents conserve water and make a permanent lifestyle change in water efficiency. The campaign is working with local bands to promote water conservation and the unique “take a one-song shower” call to action, just one way to share that conservation is simple and easy.
As local band Bearcoon’s Solange Igoa and Andrea Walker would urge you to do, aside from taking shorter showers, or filling up your sink with soapy water for dishwashing (instead of letting it run) “get rid of your running water altogether and shower once a week like we do.” Then again, not everyone is on a rad musical tour and living out of a Chevy G20, but one can dream right?
Residents can view the campaign details, music videos and listen to song playlists by two local bands to remind them to take a one-song shower in the weeks ahead by clicking here.