Officials in the drought-weary state of California have revealed that residential water use has been cut by 29 percent in May. This encouraging news is the first indication that the state can actually meet the water conservation reductions imposed by the governor, which state that urban areas must cut water usage by 25 percent. The figures were released by the State Water Resources Control Board and show a significant improvement over the 13.6 percent reduction reported in April.
An aggressive campaign was launched which encouraged residents to change their lifestyles to conserve water. Changes include taking shorter showers, buying water-efficient appliances and even replacing water-guzzling grass with drought-tolerant landscaping options. According to Mark Gold of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, “My first response is almost disbelief…These results are beyond encouraging; they’re heartening. They make you realize that as a whole, people in urban areas are making the sacrifices necessary to get through this unprecedented drought.”
Considering outdoor lawn irrigation contributes to 80 percent of all residential water use, these numbers indicate that people in urban areas may be cutting back on grass in landscaping. However, the summer is only beginning, so it remains to be seen if water use will continue to drop as the temperature rises. According to Gold, “It’s only going to get harder…Now we need to roll six months together to make a significant difference.”
San Diego was one of the cities commended by state regulators for cutting usage. In May, the city cut its water usage by 26 percent, roughly six times what the city cut in April. According to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, “While the numbers for May look promising, we should keep in mind that unexpected rainfall also contributed to the lower usage…San Diegans continue to prove they are statewide leaders in water conservation and they must keep conserving water to meet the state mandate.”
If you are one of the many concerned San Diego citizens who wants to help conserve water during this tough drought period, Juniper Landscape Company in San Diego can help. As noted, one of the biggest uses of water is lawn care. The team at Juniper Landscape can help you design, implement and maintain a water-friendly landscape design. Our unique designs will help you conserve water by eliminating turf and replacing it with local plants, paved areas and more. Just because your lawn is not made of grass does not mean that you cannot have a comfortable, inviting and beautiful landscape. Give us a call today for more information.