Sacramento reduces water consumption but falls short of Newsom’s goal for California

As California’s drought deepens, Sacramento residents are falling short of meeting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for water conservation — at least so far.

Area residents reduced water usage by an average of 6% last month, compared to August 2020, according to data released this week by the Sacramento Regional Water Authority. That compares with the 15% voluntary goal announced by Newsom in an executive order in July.

Although the water usage didn’t come close to meeting Newsom’s call, Sacramento officials said they were encouraged by the results for August — the first full month since the executive order was signed.

“We’re grateful that it’s down 6% — we have more work to do,” said Jim Peifer.

Until fairly recently, Peifer said water usage in the Sacramento area had actually been growing this year and “we’ve righted the direction.”

Statewide figures for August won’t be released until mid-October, said Edward Ortiz, a spokesman for the State Water Resources Control Board.

Newsom so far has resisted ordering mandatory cutbacks in residential usage but has hinted that such an order could come next year if California suffers through another dry winter. His predecessor Jerry Brown instituted 25% mandatory cutbacks in 2015, during the last drought, a year after Californians failed to respond to his call for voluntary reductions.

‘It’s not like a light switch. It takes people a while’

In Sacramento, Peifer said a couple of factors were working against greater conservation results in August. First, he said area officials — like their counterparts on the state level — were caught somewhat flatfooted when drought conditions worsened dramatically earlier this year, after much of the Sierra Nevada snowpack evaporated or was absorbed into ultra-dry soils.

“We were a little late getting out the call” for conservation, he said. The Sacramento water authority, which represents 20 public and private agencies, urged a 10% cut in usage in May, about two months before Newsom issued his plea for 15% conservation.

The other impediment has been the extraordinarily hot summer, Peifer said. “One of the things that drives water use is really hot weather,” he said.

He said he’s confident the region’s residents will improve their conservation efforts before long.

“When you’re requesting conservation ... it’s not like a light switch. It takes people a while.”