File photo.
Long Beach was not alone in satisfying its water reduction goals with its 19 percent reduction in water use, succeeding in the face of new state mandates with the cities of Santa Monica (22 percent reduction), Pico Rivera (23.4 percent reduction), Seal Beach (21.9 percent reduction) and Inglewood (21.3 percent reduction), according to state water figures released today.
The state decreased its water use by 27.3 percent, exceeding Gov. Jerry Brown’s goal of 25 percent by 2.3 percentage points, a release issued by the State Water Resources Control Board announced.
“Californians understand the severity of the drought and they are taking action, as shown by the numbers released today,” said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Board in a statement.
Statewide results show that Los Angeles water customers decreased their water use by 15.5 percent, coming up short on the state mandate of 16 percent water reduction.
The City of El Monte was singled out for its increase in water use, despite the new state mandates. Its water use increased by 14.7 percent.
Notably, Antelope Valley, the San Gabriel Valley Water Company, Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Yorba Linda Water District cut their water use by 42 percent, 35 percent, 30 percent and 38 percent, respectively. The state cited the effectiveness penalties for excessive water use in each circumstance in the release.
City News Service contributed to this report.