Californians cut water use by 26 percent in April

Californians continued to save water in April despite the easing of the drought, reducing use by about 26 percent compared to 2013, the State Water Resources Control Board said Monday.

The reductions came before the recent roll back of harsh mandatory conservation targets. They also came during a relatively dry April. Sacramento received about 1.5 inches of rain during that month. Los Angeles saw about 0.3 inches.

Water savings ranged from 23 percent along the south coast to about 33 percent in the San Joaquin valley, state data show. Water districts in the Sacramento River watershed cut use by 31 percent.

Starting this month, water agencies across the state will propose their own water conservation targets based on their ability to withstand another three dry years. Regional water officials say most Sacramento-area water districts will not have mandatory targets because their water supplies are healthy.

“Californians continue to demonstrate that they are serious about water conservation, which is fabulous,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus in a statement. “We will be watching closely to make sure that water agencies continue to prioritize the conservation habits their customers have adopted.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Californians cut water use by 26 percent in April."